


Curtain Call

by Hiddenetoiles



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Actor/Director/Writer AU!, Angst, Director Kageyama, Drama, I am a byproduct of Korean dramas, I promise this will be fun, Maybe - Freeform, Multi, Romantic Comedy, Rookie Actor Hinata!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-05-19 00:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5949931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiddenetoiles/pseuds/Hiddenetoiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Call it mere devotion, passion, or just obsession, these people work endlessly to see their dreams being achieved; Whether that dream is acting, directing, writing, or even producing, you can be sure that all these blood, sweat, and tears are not in vain.<br/>Besides, all the world's a stage, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scene 1: It's too late now

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked this idea of an actor/director/writer universe. It's just so fun to create! I hope you all enjoy this story because I definitely loved writing it. 
> 
> The first chapter introduces some beloved Haikyuu characters. This chapter is written in Daichi's perspective.   
> Today's song: Nico - エトランジェ / Etranger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGosx_4giMY)  
> I will try posting a song with every chapter. :D

It was only 8:30 in the morning, but Daichi already felt a migraine coming. As soon as he had stepped into his office, there were stacks of papers piled on top of his cluttered desk. He slowly set his backpack down on the floor and then proceeded to take ahold of the first stack of papers. His eyes glazed over the typed material, and he instantly regretted coming in to work today.

            With a sigh, he set down the papers on his desk and walked out of the office, heading over to the pantry room.

            Let’s just get some coffee first he thought. Daichi knew that he needed to cut down on his caffeine consumption, but it was hard to break old habits. He would just have to listen to his doctor nag to him once again, listening to him ramble about the dangers of caffeine for his already high blood pressure level.

            He walked into the pantry room when he noticed a familiar face sipping her coffee. Daichi gave her a warm smile.

“Shimizu. You’re here early as usual,” he greeted as she nodded.

“I can say the same for you,” said Shimizu in her usual low voice. She adjusted her glasses.  “You really should take a vacation. You’re here too often.”

Daichi laughed. “I know. There’s still so much to do though. I’ll probably take a break when work slows down a bit.”

“You know better than anyone that work here never slows down,” scoffed Shimizu, handing a fresh cup of coffee to Daichi that she had just poured. He gratefully received the hot beverage.

 “I can’t just take a leave of vacation so suddenly. It wouldn’t be right. You guys can’t handle all this. I don’t want you to have that burden,” said Daichi with a smile. “A break is so tempting, but it’s my responsibility to help out when necessary.”

“No one can stop you,” sighed Shimizu. She gave her co-worker a concerned look. “Well, at least try not to work overtime. I swear, you’re at work more than you are at home.”

“What can I say, I’m married to my job,” admitted Daichi. “But hey, I can say the same for you.” He grinned at Shimizu who could only smile in return.

The door creaked opened as another person entered the room.

“Good morning!” the voice chirped.

“Good morning Suga-san,” responded Shimizu.

“Morning,” added Daichi with a wave. He pointed at his watch on his left hand. “You came so early today.”

Sugawara winked. “I had to talk with some people.”

“What for?” asked Daichi. He then realized the reason. “Oh right!” He snapped his fingers. “You got it approved?”

Shimizu stood there in confusion. “You needed something approved?”

“Ah! I guess I never told you Shimizu, but I recently finished a script for a web drama series,” explained Sugawara. “I was in London at the time the idea came to me. You know, web dramas are all the rage these days.”

“You started a script when you were in London?” asked Shimizu with her perfectly arched eyebrows raised.

“I’m telling you, the idea just came into my head, and before you know it, I’m on a roll,” replied Sugawara, his eyes practically shining. “Of course, I had Tsukishima help out. He wasn’t too pleased with that, but oh well!” He had a satisfied smile on his face.  

Daichi could just imagine the scenario in his head. Tsukishima probably had an annoyed expression when Sugawara excitedly brought up his oh so amazing original story idea. The two had recently gone on a trip to London to attend a scriptwriter’s guild conference. It was a nice excuse for the two writers to relax and sightsee since they had just finished with their latest TV drama series. It must have irritated Tsukishima to suddenly start a new project so quickly though. However, Daichi knew very well that no one could stop Sugawara when he was on a roll. Daichi found that respectable about Sugawara thought. He liked people that were passionate about their work, and it was clear to see that Sugawara was destined to be a writer. He was one of the best writers in the company. Many of his works were highly praised by critics, and directors were always eager to work with him. Daichi knew that even Tsukishima tolerated Sugawara’s crazy antics because he was just that amazing.

“You have a director in mind for the web series?” questioned Shimizu. “I think a lot of the directors in the company are already working on other projects.”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that too,” chimed in Daichi. “Unless you wanted to branch out to other directors-“

Sugawara suddenly put his arms over his friends’ shoulders, almost knocking over their cups of coffee that was in their hands.  Surprised, Daichi and Shimizu exchanged glances at each other.  

“Um…Suga-san?” asked Shimizu.

“You guys have to fully support me on this,” whispered Sugawara. “Promise me?”

“Of course we’ll support you, you’re the company’s best writer,” replied Daichi, still unable to comprehend why Suga was acting like this. “Are you worried about getting a director? Don’t worry about it. I mean, even if the director is not from our company, there won’t be any opposition. The higher ups give you guys a lot of freedom with your projects so-“

“I want Kageyama to be the director,” confessed Sugawara.

Daichi and Shimizu were silent. The only sound that could be heard was the noise of the clock in the room, indicating the seconds passing by this very moment.

Daichi took a deep breath and was the first to break the quietness. “Suga….maybe I heard wrong. Please do correct me if I did, but did you say-“

Sugawara let go of his arms that were pressing down on his friends’ shoulders and lifted his face so they could see him clearly. The expression on Suga’s face frightened Daichi. He knew this face. It wasn’t an expression that he saw often on Suga’s usual calm composed face, but the rare times that Sugawara looked like right now, Daichi knew there was nothing stopping him.   

“Are you telling me right now that you want Kageyama Tobio to be your director?” asked Shimizu with a sharp voice. Daichi recognized this tone as Shimizu’s professional voice, not a voice she used to talk comfortably with her close friends like she had done a couple minutes ago.  

All traces of casualness was now no longer in the room. The atmosphere had dramatically changed. Daichi knew the reason all too well. In this very moment at this very time, the three of them were not talking as friends. They were talking as ambitious, cut throat beasts.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t change your character, but I guess I was hoping for too much,” said Sugawara quietly. He looked at Shimizu and Daichi with a bittersweet smile. “I underestimated you guys too much, I apologize. I forgot that I’m not the only one passionate about my work.” He bowed his head. “Shimizu-san, Sawaramura-san. I will hand in an official report later, but I want you two to know beforehand that I intend to have Kageyama Tobio as the main director in my new web series drama.” He lifted his head and gave a determined glare.

Daichi hated this tension in the room. To make matters worse, the migraine that had faded when he was happily talking to his friends was now upon him again. He silently swore. Suga was right. All of them were too invested in their work. Call it mere devotion, passion, or just obsession, there was no way they could escape this cursed reality-even if they were close friends.

Daichi cleared his throat and looked at Sugawara directly. “Sugawara-san,” he started. “It seems that you were able to get your new project approved, something that I wish to congratulate you. It is admirable to see that you are always ready and prepared for another piece of work. However…” Daichi stopped there suddenly and sighed. He honestly did not want to continue but he knew Suga had to hear this sooner or later. “However, I cannot assure you that the company will allow you the freedom of letting Kageyama Tobio to be your main director for your new series.”

“Are you rejecting my request then?”  Asked Sugawara, his voice quiet but firm.

“Unfortunately, yes,” replied Shimizu stoically. “If you insist though, we will have to go with the company’s procedure, but I do not recommend that.”

“We can try finding other directors,” said Daichi, trying not to hurt Suga’s feelings. “Like I said, they don’t have to be within our company, but-“

“Please let the others know then,” interrupted Sugawara briskly. “If there is no simple way for my request to be received, I will gladly go through with the company’s strict procedure. I will expect to see you all in a meeting soon. Thank you for your time.” He bowed once again and then he left the room, closing the door with a loud noise.

Shimizu took another sip of her coffee. Daichi gulped down his lukewarm coffee and crumpled the paper cup in his hand, squeezing it tight. His head hurt so bad, damn migraine. He tossed the paper cup into the garbage can, and harshly massaged his temple, trying to calm himself down although he knew it was futile. After about a minute of silence, he turned to look at Shimizu with a wry smile.

“On second thought, maybe I _should_ go on vacation.”

Shimizu gave a small smile. She crumpled her cup and then threw it in the garbage as well.

“It’s too late for that now.”        

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, wow, was that dramatic or what? LOL. What can I say, I grew up on Kdramas. They sure know how to play with your heart!
> 
> Some of you might be wondering what the hell Daichi and Shimizu actually do, and um, to be honest, even I'm not completely sure lol. All I know is that they work for this super huge company that houses actors, writers, and directors. I guess Daichi and Shimizu are PR employees? They mainly deal with business that involves their company's actors/writers/directors. So this is also an office au too lol.   
> Next chapter we will get another character's point of view. I plan on switching it up every chapter (and maybe within the chapter too)
> 
> Anyhoo, thank you for reading!


	2. Scene two: I don't want to give up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama is in a dilemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to introduce Kageyama! 
> 
> Song of the day: Taeyeon-Rain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgAFjZvbpPA)

Chapter 2: Scene 2:

 _Beep_. Hey Kageyama, this is Suga. I talked to some people at my company about you...I know you were really reluctant, but I'm really glad you decided to partner up with me for this new project of mine. Don't focus on the past too much ok? Everything is going to be alright. I'm about to enter a meeting. It’s going to start at 9.You can bet that I'm going to try my hardest to get their approval. So don't worry and get ready to celebrate tonight! I'll talk to you later! _Beep. End of Message. Press 1 to repeat. Press 2 to call back. Press 3 to-_

Kageyama turned his phone off and threw it on his bed.

This was turning into a bigger mess than he initially thought. He knew that he shouldn't have had dinner with Sugawara-san, but he felt like he couldn't say no to him. What seemed like a casual stop at the grocery store turned into a spontaneous dinner outing with Sugawara-san. Kageyama was simply putting away his grocery bags in the back of his car trunk when a man with a familiar face came up to him.

            _“Kageyama, is that really you?”_

_Kageyama froze when he recognized the owner of the voice. “Um, hello, Sugawara-san,” he mumbled, trying to avert Sugawara-san’s gaze._

_“Wow, I feel like it’s been awhile since we last met,” said Sugawara, not sensing that Kageyama was feeling very uncomfortable. “It’s been years huh? The last time we saw each other was probably in college.” Kageyama looked to examine Sugawara’s face. Although Kageyama wasn’t the smartest guy in the world, even he knew when people were trying to humiliate him for his recent failures. Thankfully, he didn’t see any hints of mockery in Sugawara-san’s face. He seemed genuine._

_“You look a little sick Kageyama,” said Sugawara-san with a gentle voice. “And you lost weight.”_

_Kageyama shifted his feet. “I…don’t really go out often,” he replied, feeling dumb. Why was he even bothering to tell Sugawara-san? He should have just bolted out of the parking lot when he had the chance, ignoring Sugawara-san’s greeting._

_“Kageyama…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” apologized Sugawara-san._

_Kageyama scratched his head. “It’s fine,” he muttered. “I didn’t expect to see you…I don’t really see anyone these days.”_

_Sugawara-san was silent after he heard that. Kageyama decided it was time for him to end this, so he cleared his throat. “Well, I’m going to head home now. It was nice seeing you.” Kageyama closed his trunk with a loud thud, and then started his way to get into the driver’s seat. Sugawara spoke up all of a sudden._

_“Want to have dinner?”_

_Kageyama widened his eyes, and looked at Sugawara-san in confusion. “Dinner?” he repeated like a stupid parrot._

_Sugawara-san gave a warm smile. “Yes! It’ll be my treat. It’s been so long. I’d hate to waste this rare opportunity to talk. I know a great Korean restaurant near here.” He gazed at Kageyama hopefully, and Kageyama figured Sugawara-san was probably just trying to be nice. After all, Kageyama was a gloomy guy and Sugawara-san had obviously noticed that Kageyama needed some social interaction, but Kageyama felt so weird to accept this dinner offer. He hated eating out mainly because there were so many people around him, and he did not want anyone to recognize him. He couldn’t bear to hear those accusatory voices or see those fingers pointing at him. He didn’t want to see people whispering behind his back because even though he couldn’t audibly hear what the masses of people were saying, he just knew what was coming out of their mouths._

_It’s that director. It’s the KING._

_Kageyama felt his palms sweat. “Sorry Sugawara-san,” He managed to croak. “I actually have something so-“_

_“Kageyama,” said Sugawara-san in a firm voice. “I’m going to make you an offer that you can’t reject.”_

_“Um, excuse me?” asked Kageyama, completely bewildered. What offer was he talking about now? “What offer?”_

_Sugawara-san grinned. “You’re curious, right? Let’s talk about it over dinner.”_

_Shit. Kageyama was now trapped in Sugawara’s net. Before he knew it, he was having dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant with Sugawara-san. Kageyama couldn’t stop feeling like something big was going to happen. He needed to do something before Sugawara-san caught him again._

_“Sugawara-san, whatever your offer is, I want you to know that I am not interested-“_

_“I’m going to do a web drama series,” started Sugawara-san cutting Kageyama off. “It’s going to be great. Look, the story is about a guy who comes from the countryside to find his father in the big city. He also comes to the city to achieve his dream of being a great musician. It’s going to be a heartwarming story with nice songs. What do you think?”_

_“What-What do I think?!” exclaimed Kageyama, ready to explode. “Frankly, I don’t want to be here right now! I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I have had enough. I know you feel sorry for me, but please don’t pity me. I don’t want to lose the last bit of my pride.”_

_“You still have some pride after what happened?” said Sugawara-san quietly. He stared at Kageyama right in the eye. “Kageyama, when are you going to stop living in the past?”_

_Kageyama froze. He opened his mouth, trying to say something to retort to that statement, but nothing came out. His head started to hurt._

_“I heard from others that after what happened, all you do is stay inside. You never come out now,” said Sugawara-san._

_Kageyama clenched his fists. “So I’m a reclusive shut-in, so what.”_

_“You can’t go on like this forever.”_

_Fuck, why was Sugawara-san here, talking to him about this. What gave him the right to lecture him? “It must be so nice to be loved by everyone,” said Kageyama spitefully. “Someone like you even sharing a meal with me is an honor. I definitely don’t deserve this. You’re one of Japan’s best writers, and I’m infamously known as the Director King. We’re from two completely different worlds. I get it. I’m a laughingstock in the film industry. A real loser. An arrogant, conceited, good for nothing piece of trash that deserves to rot in hell.”_

_Sugawara-san sighed. “I never said that Kageyama.”_

_“But you think it,” said Kageyama bitterly. “Everyone does. Admit it. You’re all the same. You just have the courtesy to not say it to my face.”_

_“I think you are brilliant,” spoke Sugawara-san._

_Kageyama snorted. “Please stop.”_

_“You are probably one of the most talented directors this industry has Kageyama,” persisted Sugawara-san. “Your kind of talent is revolutionary.”_

_“No I’m not.”_

_“Yes you are.”_

_“Sugawara-san, I have the upmost respect for you, I really do. However, if you continue in this manner, I am going to have to change my opinion,” warned Kageyama._

_“Redeem yourself,” said Sugawara-san suddenly. “Come back to the industry you love so much and redeem yourself.”_

_Kageyama couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Why oh why was Sugawara-san acting like this? Couldn’t he be like everyone else and just curse him out?_

_“I’m not falling for your motivational speech,” replied Kageyama, irritated. “I’m not that simple minded.”_

_“Don’t you want to prove yourself as a worthy director?” pressed Sugawara-san, not relenting despite Kageyama’s refusal to budge. “Are you just going to continue living like this, cooped up in your home, wandering aimlessly in your life with no true purpose?”_

_Kageyama remained silent. Honestly, he knew that Sugawara-san had a good heart and wanted Kageyama to come out of his shell after his disaster, but Kageyama was scared. He was scared of interacting with people again. He was scared of failing. He was too scared to do anything, so he found it easier to give up. Sugawara-san’s words were right though, as much as he didn’t want to admit it._

_“Why me,” said Kageyama, his voice shaking a bit. “Out of all those directors, why are you choosing me. I can ruin you. The public isn’t going to look forward to your project once they hear you partnered up with me.”_

_“While it’s true your reputation is not something to boast about, I’m confident that people will still be interested in my project. I am one of the best writers this country has seen after all,” responded Sugawara-san confidently._

_Kageyama didn’t know whether to be impressed or baffled. It was kind of a given that in order to survive in this industry, you needed to be confident about your abilities, but this seemed like too much of a risk for Sugawara-san. Besides, the two weren’t even that close, so you could hardly call this a favor. Something didn’t seem right._

_“I don’t want to offend you Sugawara-san,” started Kageyama slowly. “But I just can’t see why you would want to work with me. I mean, what do you get out of this? We weren’t even that close in college.” Kageyama stared at Sugawara-san. “I know that you are not simply doing this out of the bottom of your good heart.”_

_“I told you already,” replied Sugawara-san, eating the meat that was sizzling in front of them. “You are a revolutionary director. You’re one of a kind. Sure, your personality is troublesome, and that incident last year revealed that truth to everyone but-“ He paused. “People can change. I really believe that. Besides, I like that you’re more meticulous than your average director. I know you Kageyama. You are seeking for a one-of-a-kind actor, an actor that can really move people’s hearts.” Sugawara-san looked at Kageyama with a look that sent shivers down his spine. “I’m investing in you because I believe the outcome will be more than what I paid for. So don’t refuse my offer. I won’t allow it. I can’t let your talent go to waste. It would be a disgrace to this industry we both are embedded in, no matter if we like it or not.”  He smiled at the end of his monologue. “Don’t you think so too?”_

_This happened all because I was out of milk thought Kageyama. What a fucking coincidence. Or were the gods trying to answer my prayers? Kageyama wasn’t sure. All he knew for sure was that Sugawara sure liked Korean BBQ meat._

_“Can we get another serving please?” requested Sugawara-san to the waitress. “This is so good. You should eat up Kageyama. Gain some weight, you are too skinny!” He put the sizzling meat on top of Kageyama’s rice bowl._

_“Your company won’t approve,” blurted out Kageyama. “I’m on everyone’s blacklist.”_

_Sugawara-san laughed loudly as Kageyama blushed._

_“Sugawara-san!” groaned Kageyama. “I’m being serious.”_

_“Kageyama,” said Sugawara-san calmly after he ceased his laughter. “Do you think a couple people with black suits and ties can stop me?”_

_Kageyama gulped. “Please don’t fight your company.”_

_“Oh, I’m going to fight. And I’ll win.”_

            Kageyama wanted to scream. Thinking about this whole conversation that they had two days ago distressed Kageyama. He really shouldn’t have gotten himself involved with Sugawara-san, but the man was like a fucking whirlwind. He kept surging forward, and there was no room for escape. What a sly person! He had such an angelic face, but he was quite devious. Thinking about it now, Sugawara-san resembled a certain someone he knew. Kageyama shuddered. What horrible sin had he committed in his past life that he had to encounter such twisted souls?  

            Or maybe it came with the job Kageyama pondered. I mean, he certainly was not normal. But still. Sugawara-san’s proposal was so absurd. Kageyama wondered if Sugawara-san realized what he was getting himself into. He said earlier that this was a worthy investment but what if this ruined Sugawara-san’s career? What if this project failed because of him again? What if he said the wrong thing and-

Kageyama shook his head. Get ahold of yourself idiot! He scolded. Be realistic, when else are you going to get another opportunity like this? You should be on your knees, thanking the hell out of Sugawara-san. The fact that he still believes in you had to account for something right?

Kageyama stared at his clock. 10:30 PM. Kageyama looked at his phone apprehensively. Sugawara-san had told him that he would be talking to his company at 9 PM. That was more than an hour ago. Kageyama’s heart began to sink. The company probably rejected Sugawara-san’s request for Kageyama to be director. They just had to, there was absolutely nothing to profit from this. Even if Sugawara-san was a sweet talker, nothing could move the company’s heart.

And I know that from experience thought Kageyama bitterly. He remembered that after the incident, his very own company turned his back on him. They had canceled the contract, and just like that, Kageyama had to deal with the aftermath by himself. He had never felt so lonely in his entire life, and that was saying a lot because Kageyama was the epitome of loneliness.

Fuck this, I’m just going to sleep thought Kageyama, extremely tired from overthinking his brain. He collapsed onto his bed, pulling the covers over him. He closed his eyes, ready to take rest when his phone buzzed.

Kageyama bolted out of bed and instinctively grabbed his phone.

With a deep breath, he answered it. “Hello?” Damn it, why was his voice shaking.

“It’s me Kageyama,” said Sugawara-san in a low voice.

Kageyama’s heart started to palpitate. He thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. Just a few seconds ago, he was ready to accept the news that he very well possibly could not direct Sugawara-san’s work, but deep inside, he still held some hope. Hope to redeem himself. Hope to return to what he loved to do. Hope to finally find someone who could understand what he truly wanted.

“Kageyama, I want you to listen to me very carefully,” said Sugawara, not giving any hints in voice as to whether or not he was calling to deliver good news or bad news.

 _Here it goes._ “I’m listening.”

 _Please. If anyone is listening, please give me a second chance,_ Kageyama prayed.

 _I don’t want to give up._                  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, how can I end the chapter with a cliffhanger? It's for suspense y'all.  
> Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be Tsukishima's time to shine.


	3. Scene 3: I'm glad that I'm not drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima tries to persuade Sugawara to come to his sense and when all else fails, he decides to go for a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of characters appear in this chapter! Look forward to them! 
> 
> Song of the day: Zico- I am you, You are me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWUO-Y5Mc9g)

“He has the personality of Satan.”

Tsukishima’s senpai sighed. “Kageyama does not have the personality of Satan, Tsukishima.”

“Have you not read the reports about him?” scoffed Tsukishima. “With all due respect Suga Senpai, I think you’re overestimating your abilities. Even if you are one of Japan’s best writers, asking Kageyama Tobio to be your director is ludicrous. Congrats. You just played yourself. You sighed your own death sentence. And now the company is going to execute you and smear your blood all over the floor.”

Sugawara gave his kouhai an exasperated look. “Not you too,” he replied with a pout. “I thought that at least you of all people would support me.”

Tsukishima snorted when he heard that. “I’m telling you the cold hard truth senpai.”

“Well too bad, I’m already here for the meeting with the company officials, and there is nothing that will stop me,” sniffed Sugawara.

Now it was Tsukishima’s turn to be exasperated. “I tolerate a lot because I admire you Senpai. But this is just crossing the line. You can’t just call me up at 8pm and ask me to come over to the company ASAP and then when I actually do arrive, you decide to casually reveal to me that you’re having a meeting with the company to discuss having Kageyama fucking Tobio to be your director. Of all directors, why the fucking hell does it have to be _him_?” Tsukishima crossed his arms in defiance. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d rather work with Oikawa. Hell, I’d work with third-rate directors, eve porn directors. Just not Kageyama.”

            Sugawara stared at Tsukishima in shock. “You would choose a porn director over Kageyama?”

                 Did he fucking stutter? God, he so wanted to be at home right now in his bed. Tsukishima had just gotten back from London a couple days ago, and he was still a bit jet lagged. He did not have the energy to deal with this colossal mess. Tsukishima pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did he bribe you with something? Offer you millions of dollars?”

            “Of course not, Kageyama is not that sort of guy!” exclaimed Sugawara.

            “Oh trust me, he is that kind of guy,” said Tsukishima in a stoic voice. “You wouldn’t know senpai, but I was in the same year as him in college. I think I would understand the bastard more than you do.”

            “Please don’t refer to your co-worker as a bastard,” lectured Sugawara. “It’s very bad manners.”

            Tsukishima felt like chucking something at his senpai. “He is NOT my co-worker.”

            Sugawara winked. “He will be soon!” He chirped.

            “Please wake up from your dream senpai,” pleaded Tsukishima, getting desperate now. “You are too young to end your career at the age of 25. And I definitely do not want the public to know me as your failure of an assistant. We have such bright futures ahead of us. Letting Kageyama Tobio enter our wonderful prospective lives is a dangerous pitfall we must avoid at all costs.”

            “You’re cute when you get dramatic,” chuckled Sugawara.

            Oh fucking lord, someone save him. Why didn’t Daichi senpai or Shimizu senpai stop him? Tsukishima knew that this was just not going to end well. Besides the fact that Suga senpai wanted Kageyama to be his director for his next project, Suga senpai was extremely determined to talk to the company heads about it. This was a recipe for disaster.

            I need a new boss thought Tsukishima miserably. Or maybe a new career.

            The conference doors opened suddenly, and out stepped Daichi and Shimizu with serious expressions on their faces.

            “You can come in now Sugawara-san,” informed Shimizu. “We apologize for starting so late. We were discussing some matters.”

            “That’s alright, it’s only 9:15,” said Sugawara with a wave of his hand. “Let’s go Tsukishima.” Sugawara started to walk to enter the room when Daichi cleared his throat.

            “Um…you see…” muttered Daichi.

            “Please speak up Daichi, I can’t hear you,” request Sugawara. He shot Tsukishima a worried look and just for a moment, Tsukishima felt a little bad for his senpai.

            “Tsukishima-san cannot participate in the meeting,” explained Shimizu strictly. “He will have to wait out here.”

            “Wait, I came here for nothing?” snapped Tsukishima. “This is ridiculous, I was called over here and wasted my damn time. I demand that you let me in this meeting.”

            Daichi shook his head. “We cannot allow that. Sorry Tsukishima.” He gave him an apologetic look.

            Sugawara sighed. “It can’t be helped. I’m sorry Tsukishima. I’ll make this up to you by buying you strawberry shortcakes. You should go home for now.”

            “Strawberry shortcakes my ass,” sneered Tsukishima. “What am I 7? Whatever, I’m not letting you go by yourself Senpai.” As much as he hated his senpai’s idea, he couldn’t just let him be in this meeting by himself. The higher-ups would eat him alive, and Tsukishima couldn’t trust his senpai that he would be able to fend for himself.

            “Let me repeat but only Sugawara-san is allowed to be in the conference room,” uttered Shimizu. “You may not enter Tsukishima-san.”

            “I can go by myself Tsukishima,” insisted Sugawara, patting Tsukishima’s shoulder. “Don’t give me that look.” His senpai gave him a bright smile. “I’ll call you later. You go home.”

            “I refuse,” snarled Tsukishima. He glared at Daichi and Shimizu. “Why didn’t you stop senpai from pursuing this idea? You just let him do this when you know the consequences? His career could end the very moment he asks Kageyama Tobio to be the director. You’re pretty much digging his own grave.”

            “What is taking so long!” came a loud voice. An older man with a stern face came out of the conference room. “We are expecting you, do not make us wait.”

            “You made us wait for 15 minutes, did you not?” retorted Tsukishima.

            “What did you just say?!”

            “Please Tsukishima,” said Sugawara, his voice growing tired with every second passing by. He bowed to the angry older man. “I apologize. Let us start the meeting.” He started to follow the man, and Daichi and Shimizu were right behind him.

            Aggravated, Tsukishima quickly ran up and grabbed his senpai’s arm before he entered the conference room. “You don’t have to do this.”

            He stared right in Sugawara’s eyes. “Is it because you pity him? You feel sorry for him?” Tsukishima shook his head. “You’re already a good person. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Just because Kageyama went to the same college as us doesn’t justify anything. So he’s your kouhai, so what. Don’t I matter more senpai? Doesn’t Daichi or Shimizu senpai matter? Doesn’t your _work_ matter?”

            Sugawara gently put down Tsukishima arm that had held onto him. He just gave a small smile. “I’ll call you.” Tsukishima stood there, speechless as he watched his senpai’s walk into the conference room. Shimizu turned her head to face Tsukishima and whispered sorry, and then she closed the door.

            Tsukishima punched the wall in frustration. Shit. This was not good. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. He got out his cellphone from his back pocket and dialed a number. He put his phone to his ear, listening to the phone dial.

            “Hello?” answered a voice.

            “It’s me. I need a drink,” replied Tsukishima.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

            Tsukishima stepped into the dimly lit bar and looked around. He groaned when he saw a familiar table. He annoyingly trudged over to the noisy table.

            “Good evening,” he said, not even trying to hide his distaste. He glared at his freckled friend. “I thought I said I just wanted it to be between the three of us.”

            Yamaguchi scratched his head. “I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Yachi and I were already planning on going out to drink and you called so…”

            A very short person with peculiar hair slapped Tsukishima on his back with a lot of force. “Geez, lighten up! If you keep grimacing like that, you’ll get wrinkles!” he laughed.

            “Nishinoya-san,” said Tsukishima dryly. “Being with you and Tanaka-san brings on more wrinkles to my already rather aged face.”

            “Can you at least pretend to look excited that we’re here?” slurred Tanaka who was already a little tipsy. “You should be honored that your senpai’s are out with you!”

            “You’re not even going to foot the bill,” quipped back Tsukishima. “So no, I’m not going to act like I’m happy.”

            “Don’t mind him please,” begged Yachi. “He’s still tired from his trip.”

            “Don’t apologize Yachi,” growled Tsukishima taking a seat next to her.

            Asahi gave an apologetic smile to Tsukishima. “Sorry Tsukishima. I insisted that we not come, but you know how these two can get. I’ll pay for everything.”

            Tsukishima shrugged. “You’re fine Asahi-senpai. And don’t bother, I’ll definitely make sure Tanaka-san pay for the drinks.”

            “What did ya say, you bastard!” shouted Tanaka, handing Yachi another drink. “This is really all on us! Here, take my damn card!” he took out his wallet and slammed it on the table. “Order whatever you want! I’ll pay for it all! WOOHOO!” Tanaka started cheering while Nishinoya joined in noisily.

            Why could Tsukishima never get any peace and quiet? He rolled his eyes and grabbed a drink that was in front of him. At least he could drown all his sorrows in this damn drink.

            “Is everything ok Tsukki?” asked Yamaguchi. “You look….stressed.”

            “Aww, Tsukishima is always looking stressed. That’s his default face!” boomed Nishinoya. “You know, the constipated face.”

            “I am this close to throwing this drink at your face,” warned Tsukishima.

            “Ignore them,” said Asahi. “They’re in a really good mood because they got offered to be in Ushijima’s new movie.”

            Tsukishima wrinkled his nose. “I thought we all agreed that we hated his guts.”

            “Yeah, he’s spiteful, but you have to admit, he’s Japan’s number one action star,” mused Asahi. “I heard from Daichi that Hollywood is interested in him.”

            Tsukishima gulped down his fourth drink. “Fascinating,” he said plainly.

            “I hate to admit it, but he is in demand,” laughed Yamaguchi. “But all of us are so popular too! I mean, we're always in demand.”

            “I never said we weren’t,” scoffed Tsukishima.

            “Ok, what is your deal, we’re just trying to have fun, but you’re bringing down the mood! Celebrate with us Tsukishima!” exclaimed Nishinoya. “Your lovely senpai’s are going to be awesome stunt doubles in Ushijima’s new action film!”

            “Yes, yes, congrats, cheers,” said Tsukishima gloomily, raising his glass in a half-assed manner. “Let’s also cheer for me and hope I can find another job.” He took a swig of his drink and slammed the glass down. Why was it so hard to get drunk?

            “What are you talking about?” asked Yachi worried. “Tsukishima?” She glanced at the others who noticed Tsukishima’s visible irritation.

            “Why, did something happen at work?” questioned Yamaguchi, sounding really concerned.

            “Did Suga-san decide to go on a spontaneous trip to no man’s land and he’s dragging you with him?” joked Nishinoya.   

            “Hah, you can kind of say that,” chuckled Tsukishima, trying to pour himself a drink when Yamaguchi yanked the bottle away from him.

            “Tell us,” his friend ordered. “What’s going on?”

            “Maybe you’re worrying needlessly,” replied Tanaka.

            Tsukishima laughed and shook his head. “I wish. Fuck. That would solve everything.”

            “Ok, you need to say something or we’re not going to be able to help,” said Nishinoya, feeling a little annoyed at how Tsukishima wasn’t answering their question.

            “Oh, don’t bother, you won’t be able to do anything,” said Tsukishima, taking Yachi’s drink from her hand and gulping that down in one shot. “Because after tonight, Suga senpai, Daichi senpai, Shimizu senpai, and I are all going to be kicked out of the company. We can kiss our careers goodbye. It was nice knowing you all. “

            “Fuck Tsukishima, just spit it out!” sputtered Tanaka, now a little sober.

            “Suga-san decided to start a web drama series,” started Tsukishima.

            “Hey, that’s good,” said Yachi softly.

            “And he wants Kageyama Tobio to direct,” finished Tsukishima.

            All pairs of eyes were locked onto Tsukishima. If this situation wasn’t so serious, Tsukishima would have busted out laughing. He grabbed a drink in his hand and lightly swirled it. The only sound that could be heard from their table was the sound of Tsukishima gulping down more drinks.

            Nishinoya was the first to break the silence. “Man, you really scared me there Tsukishima,” he said. He frowned. “Stop joking like that. I know I always said you need a sense of humor, but not this kind of humor ok?”

            “I’m not kidding.”

            Yamaguchi dropped his drink. It crashed onto the floor, the glass cup breaking into pieces. No one seemed to notice though.

            “Why would Suga senpai-“

            “Your guess is as good as mine,” sighed Tsukishima. He shrugged. “Maybe Suga senpai finally lost a screw loose in his head after having to pull all-nighters.”            

            “Suga-san wants to hire Satan to be the director?!” shrieked Tanaka. “Is he being threatened? Did someone take his parents hostage? What the hell?!”

            Yachi’s eyes widened. “They’re having the meeting. Oh my god, this is the meeting Shimizu-senpai was talking about earlier,” she recalled.

            “Yeah, they’re having a meeting with the higher ups,” affirmed Tsukishima. “They wouldn’t let me in.”

            “Okay, I realize that this is a big issue, but this is Suga we’re talking about,” said Asahi trying to sound calm although he seemed really flustered. “He probably has a plan.”

            “A plan?” asked Tsukishima sharply. “I’m damn curious as to what kind of plan he has in mind that can involve the infamous Director King. Because honestly, this is suicide.”

            “He does have talent though,” said Yamaguchi quietly. “I remember in college everyone was praising him for his directing skills. They say he’s a genius you know.”

            “He’s a fucking dictator, that’s what he is,” snarled Tsukishima, the memory of working with him suddenly coming to his mind. “He hasn’t changed since college, no wonder he failed so spectacularly.”

            “You guys, we shouldn’t be talking about this,” said Asahi nervously.

            “Why, who cares, it’s the truth isn’t it?” snapped Tsukishima, his indignation level soaring. “His stupid company was gloating about how wonderful his film was going to be, how it would win awards in the international film festival, how Hollywood would scout him, and look what happened. The cast and crew exploded because they couldn’t take his orders anymore. He kept demanding more from the actors when they were clearly giving all they could, but it didn’t satisfy that fucking king. I don’t blame everyone for refusing to do the film. It was a good thing they quit. Sure, the company had to pay back everything, but what did they expect. In the end, even they fired Kageyama Tobio from their company because they knew that no one should associate with him. I’ll admit he’s talented, but his personality is trash.” Tsukishima took a deep breath after his rant. “I tried to stop Suga senpai. He wouldn’t budge. I just don’t understand what’s going through his mind.”

            Everyone was silent. No one knew how to respond to all this. They were all at a loss for words. Tsukishima surprisingly did have a conscience because he felt very sorry for bringing this up when everyone was supposed to be celebrating Nishinoya-san and Tanaka-san’s role offer.

            “Maybe everything will be alright,” suggested Asahi. “It’s not like Suga is just a nobody. He’s a highly acclaimed writer. The company will have to give some thought to his request. And Daichi and Shimizu are in the meeting too so they will help out. I’m sure of it.”

            “Yeah, I’m sure everything will work out!” chirped Yachi, her voice full of worry though. “And maybe Kageyama has learned his lesson!”

            “There’s no point in being optimistic about this,” grunted Tsukishima. “I need to face reality.”

            “Tsukki…”said Yamaguchi. “I know it seems really dire now, but you want the best to happen too, don’t you?”

            “Who knows,” replied Tsukishima with a nonchalant shrug. “But whatever happens, my life is hell.”

            “Well, what’s the worser evil?” asked Nishinoya.

            “Worser is not a word,” corrected Tsukishima.

            “Tch, always a smartass,” smiled Tanaka. “But seriously. What do you want to happen? I mean, it seems that Suga-san isn’t going to back down so either you lose your jobs or you work with Kageyama. Which one do you prefer?”

            “What is this, are we  playing would you rather?” snickered Tsukishima.

            “Just answer the question,” said Yamaguchi impatiently. “Well?”

            Tsukishima thought long and hard. Really, what did he prefer?

            Tsukishima opened his mouth to answer when his phone rang.

            “Oh my god, is it Suga-san?” yelped Yachi.

            Tsukishima swallowed hard. He answered the phone. “Yes Suga senpai?”

            Tsukishima checked his watch. It was 10:25. Damn. That meeting took a long time.

            He listened to his senpai’s words while everyone else just stared, waiting for the news with bated breath. Tsukishima remained silent for what seemed a long time, listening to his senpai talk.

            “I understand.” Tsukishima paused. Ok. I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Tsukishima simply. “Good night senpai.” He hung up and set his phone down.

             “WELL?!” exclaimed Tanaka. “What’s the verdict?”

             Tsukishima didn't answer. He tried to think how many drinks he had consumed. Was it 15? 17? Whatever it was, it was impossible for Tsukishima to even get a little drunk. 

            “Tsukki!” whined Yamaguchi.

            Tsukishima looked up and gave a wry smile. “Don’t you want to know my answer to your question earlier?”

            “You are so fucking annoying,” huffed Nishinoya.

            Tsukishima ignored him. “I’d choose pride.”

            “Pride?” questioned Asahi.

            “Pride as in you won’t let Kageyama boss you around so you’d rather get fired?” tried Tanaka.

            Something clicked for Yamaguchi and he suddenly started to laugh. “I get it.”

            Tsukishima stood up from his seat suddenly. “I need to go,” he said. “This day was way too long.”

            “What pride are you talking about?!” shouted Tanaka, still confused.

            “My writer’s pride,” replied Tsukishima, getting ready to leave. He needed a good night’s sleep. “My motivation is my writer’s pride. Good night everyone.” Without another word, Tsukishima left the bar, leaving Nishinoya and Tanaka bewildered. Asahi, Yachi, and Yamaguchi sat there amused.

            “Seems like it’ll be very busy around here,” mused Asahi.

            “What the hell is going on?!” nagged the stunt double duo while the other three just grinned at each other.

            Tsukishima got into the taxi he motioned for. Sitting in the darkness, he recalled Suga senpai’s words from their phone conversation.

            _“Tsukishima…thank you for waiting. I’m sorry for everything, and I know how much you tolerate me. I know I’m not an easy senpai to follow, but I’m thankful you’re always there. You will always be my best kouhai. Please don’t ever think for a second that you’re not. You are one hell of a kouhai.” Suga laughs. “In regards to my request…Tsukishima, we have our writer’s pride don’t we? That’s one thing we never let go of. That is something those suits and ties can never destroy. And that goes for fickle directors too! Do you understand what I’m saying Tsukishima?_

_“I understand.”_

_“Don’t drink too much. I know that you’re probably at some bar right now. We have a busy day tomorrow. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”_

            Tsukishima leaned his head back and for some odd reason, he smiled to himself. He said out loud to no one in particular, "I’m glad I didn’t get drunk." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yessss because it's all about that writer's pride!  
> The writers are determined to make this project a success! 
> 
> I think Suga and Tsukishima's senpai/kouhai relationship in this story is very sweet. I didn't intend for this when writing it, but the story just came out like that. It's a nice dynamic. 
> 
> I didn't say in this chapter but Asahi is a Cinematographer (so director of photograph. think head camera man) and Yamaguchi is set decorator. Yachi is a PR employee at the company. And it's stated that Ushijima is a very popular actor and Oikawa is a famous director. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!


	4. Scene 4: I miss you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa hangs out with his best friends, and what seems to be a regular day ends up becoming a disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the day: Winterplay-Quando, Quando, Quando (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4W-FV9_BGI)

             Oikawa carefully made his way down the long staircase. He noticed that the carpet was different from the last time that he came here. “You got rid of the old carpet?”

            The manager of the luxurious restaurant who was in front of Oikawa gave him a smile. “I thought it was time for a change.”

            “It was nice though.”

            The manager shrugged. “This new material is apparently imported from Italy. We had the money, so I gave the okay to purchase it. New things can change the atmosphere a lot more than we think.” They reached the end of the staircase, and the two arrived at the main floor of the restaurant. “They’re at the usual table.”

            Oikawa nodded. “Alright, thank you for leading me here. I know you’re busy,” he said with a warm smile.

            “Oh c’mon, you know I have to escort you, you’re one of the biggest directors in the country. It’s like an unspoken rule,” chuckled the manager. “Besides, the more you come here, the more customers we get. The whole nation tries to follow you.”

             “Oh please, you are exaggerating,” replied Oikawa. “But thank you.”

            The manager respectfully bowed and left to attend his business. When he was out of sight, Oikawa let out a small groan. He glared at the far left table by the window side, trying to send death glares at the certain people residing there. Of all places, they just had to choose this restaurant. Highly irritated, he made his way over to the table and plopped down in the empty chair at the table.

            “About time you got here!” exclaimed a man in a flashy red suit with spiky gray and white hair who eerily resembled an owl. “We were wondering if you were gonna ditch like last time.”

            Oikawa rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you Bokuto,” he said with a bored look on his face. “I couldn’t make it to dinner last week because of an interview.” He smirked. “Don’t blame me that I’m far more popular than you ever will be.”

            “Wow, someone is in a bad mood today!” laughed another man who was at the table. He was wearing a black knit sweater and dark blue jeans. He had two piercings on his left ear, and they glinted in the light every time the tall dark-haired man moved his head.

            “I specifically said that we shouldn’t meet at his restaurant,” scowled Oikawa, taking a piece of bread from the basket in the middle. “It was you, wasn’t it Kuroo? You reserved this place?” He gave a menacing glare to the dark-haired man who casually shrugged. “You know how much I hate this place.”

            “Oh lighten up Oikawaaa,” teased Bokuto. “The rest of us really like the food here. And besides…” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “The waitresses are super cute here. Don’t you think so Daichi?” He looked at a tired looking man who was eating the salad in front of him, eagerly waiting for his response.

            Daichi just continued to eat his greens absentmindedly, not paying any attention to the current conversation that was going on. Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “Hello, earth to Daichi,” said Oikawa, trying to bring him back to reality. “We’re currently discussing about how much I loathe this restaurant? Which you should now know by now!” Daichi continued to just eat like a robot. The others frowned as Oikawa sighed. He took a piece of bread and threw it at Daichi’s head.

            “Ow!” complained Daichi after the piece hit him right in the forehead. The piece of bread fell on his lap while everyone at the table laughed.

            “Didn’t anyone tell you to not play with your food?” hissed Daichi, grabbing the bread and placing it next to his plate.

            “You gave us no choice,” responded Oikawa, his arms crossed. “Why are you spacing out?”

            “Yeah, you look almost possessed. You just kept eating your salad like some surly vegan,” added Kuroo.

            “Did something happen at work?” questioned Oikawa. “You always act like this when something’s going on at the company.”

            Daichi groaned when he heard the word company. “I’d rather not talk about this.”

            “But you should,” suggested Bokuto. “You’re clearly stressed. Let it out man! We meet at least once a week for a reason.”

            “Oh really Bokuto?” teased Oikawa. “And here I thought we were meeting up regularly so you could ogle at the waitresses with Kuroo.”

            Bokuto blushed as Kuroo gave Oikawa an annoyed smile. “Hey, don’t lump me in with this pervert,” said Kuroo, pointing a finger to his owlish friend.

            “I’m not a pervert!” pouted Bokuto. “I only said the waitresses were cute! And you thought so too Kuroo, you betrayer!”

            “Hey, I never said anything like that,” defended Kuroo. “This is all you bro.”

            “Wow, you sly bastard,” snorted Bokuto. He stuffed a huge tomatoe from his salad into Kuroo’s mouth.

            “Ew, what the hell, you know I hate tomatoes,” gagged Kuroo, trying to spit out the tomato into a napkin.

            Bokuto smiled devilishly. “Aw sweetie, you know that they’re high in vitamins,” he said innocently. “I’m just feeding you some nutritious food. You need all that you can get.”

            “I have plenty, thank you very much,” sniffed Kuroo. “Why don’t you go stuff some tomatoes yourself, you freakish owl looking pervert.” He stuck out his tongue and proceeded to throw a tomato at Bokuto’s head when Daichi let out an exasperated sigh.

            “Will you two stop acting like 8 year olds and behave like proper 25 year olds?” he scolded. “You’re making a mess and just because this is the VIP floor doesn’t mean that we can take it easy. I’m sure the paparazzi’s are somewhere in here. You want the headlines in tomorrow’s paper to talk about how immature and stupid you guys are? I’m sure the company would love that.”

            “This idiot started it,” blamed Kuroo.

            “You were the one who called me a pervert!” shrieked Bokuto. They continued to glare at each other when Oikawa cleared his throat.

            “Daichi’s right. You guys need to give it a rest,” he said. “You’re too stupid to tell, but Daichi and I can tell the number of paparazzi’s here right now in this room. And believe me, they are focusing on us right now.” He shot his friends his signature fake smile. “Your reputations may not be that important to you, but I have a certain image to uphold so please don’t disgrace my name or the company’s name.”           

            “For once, you are the voice of reason Oikawa,” sighed Daichi.

            Oikawa frowned at that, and Kuroo and Bokuto giggled.

            “Did you hear him, he said for once,” whispered Bokuto to Kuroo although Oikawa could hear everything he was saying.

            “Daichi sure knows how to keep people humble,” chuckled Kuroo.

            Oikawa glowered at Daichi. “Then why do you tolerate us if we’re so annoying?” he asked hotly.

            Daichi gave his friends a tired smile. “Because even if you guys are a real hassle, you’re still my best friends.”

            “You should be so lucky to have the best director as your bestie,” said Oikawa.

            “Yeah yeah yeah, I’m sooooo pleased to have such an incredible director as my best friend,” laughed Daichi. “And I’m sooo lucky to have two amazing actors as my best friends  as well.”

            Oikawa cracked a smile and lifted his wine glass. “Cheers,” he said and everyone clinked their cups together and enjoyed the sweet drink. Honestly, Oikawa had to admit that their friendship was a miracle. All four of them didn’t have much in common. They met in college as roommates and have been inseparable ever since. The four years they spent together in college brought them very close, and Oikawa knew that their bond to each other was something that could not be cut off. Sure, they hated each other’s guts at first, and all of them couldn’t wait for their freshman year to be over so they could switch roommates. Bokuto and Kuroo were such slobs, and Daichi and Oikawa were the type of people who couldn’t tolerate disorganized, unclean people. The pairs would often side with each other out of necessity but even within the pairs, one could sense the animosity. Bokuto and Kuroo were more obvious about their dislike for each other because they both wanted to become actors. They declared that they were each other’s rivals, and they were always in competition. Daichi and Oikawa’s relationship was a bit more complicated. Both of them were very intelligent, ambitious, and cautious. They both put up fronts in order to hide their true feelings, but because they were so perceptive, the two knew each other’s weaknesses inside and out. It was the first time in Oikawa’s life that he met someone who was just as cunning as he was. Daichi knew what to say to people in order to get them to do what he wanted, but it was a different sort of manipulation than what Oikawa was familiar with. Oikawa was certainly manipulative, but it was purely for selfish reasons. Daichi, on the other hand, used manipulation so the receiving end would be motivated. During the first couple weeks of their freshman year, Oikawa detested Daichi, more so than Bokuto and Kuroo. In the beginning he couldn’t quite figure out why. They were more similar than different, Oikawa had originally believed. But later, Oikawa realized the defeating truth. Although their methods might have been the same, their intentions were completely different. Oikawa was a selfish man; he only looked out for his own ego. Daichi though, was selfless. He built others up not so he could receive praise; It was to inspire and serve the interest of others. Oikawa hated that. This dichotomy of good and bad made Oikawa feel horrible. They weren’t the same people at all. Daichi was an angel, and Oikawa was a devil. It was humiliating for Oikawa to accept this truth, which is the main reason why Oikawa was very bitter towards Daichi in the first few months of their freshman year. However, something unexpected happened during their winter break. That year, one of the worst winter storms broke out in the country, and no one could leave for their homes. The four of them were stuck in the dorms with each other, much to the disappointment of everyone. Oikawa surely wasn’t pleased. His freedom had been taken away from him, and he was being punished to continue to spend his time with his roommates. They tried to ignore each other as much as possible, but when you were stuck inside for long periods of time, it was hard to pretend you were the only person in the room. Oikawa remembered that one night, the power went out because of the severe storms. The temperature in their dorm dropped dangerously low. In order to survive and not freeze to death, they ended up all sleeping together in the living room. Yes, four male college students who hated each other with a fiery passion decided to cuddle together that very cold winter night in order to escape death. What they didn’t expect that night however, was the emergence of a blooming friendship between the unlikeliest of friends. Oikawa could remember the conversation that fated night like it was yesterday.       

_“We are all going to die,” spat out Bokuto. “This is it. I’m going to die as a young 20 year old virgin. Oh my god.” He let out a tiny sniffle. “What did I do to deserve this? I had such a promising future.”_

_“Stop being a drama queen,” retorted Kuroo, his teeth chattering. “If anything, Daichi and I are most likely to die because we’re at the end here. You guys are all toasty in the middle. You get the warmth, we don’t._

_“Stop being so salty Kuroo, we won the right to be here fair and square,” snapped Oikawa. “We agreed that when we slept here in the living room all together that we would play rock paper scissors to determine the sleeping arrangements. It’s not my fault you and Daichi lost.”_

_“Oikawa, I really wasn’t going to say anything, but can you stop hogging all the blankets to yourself?” asked Daichi in an annoyed tone. “We played for sleeping arrangements, not control over the blankets.”_

_“It’s not my fault I’m so tall,” replied Oikawa. “I’m terribly sorry Daichi, I guess you would never understand a tall person’s dilemma. My feet are very sensitive so I need the blanket to keep them warm. You’re short so you don’t need to worry about this issue.”_

_“Ok, first of all, I’m not that short,” growled Daichi. “Second, you have blankets covering both your body and your feet. I’ve got nothing.”_

_“I fail to see your point,” said Oikawa, not caring at all about Daichi’s well-being. He could freeze for all he cared._

_“Wow, and you’re calling me salty?” pointed out Kuroo. “You’re the one who’s still mad about what happened last week. Bro, get over it.”_

_“Get over what?” asked Bokuto curiously._

_“Oikawa tried scoring a date with Shimizu Kiyoko, but she turned him down. She was having a date with Daichi,” explained Kuroo with a laugh. “I was there at the restaurant. You should have seen the look on his face! He was so embarrassed. I have never seen him look so humiliated!”_

_“Oooh, I’ve heard of Shimizu Kiyoko,” mused Bokuto. “She’s probably one of the hottest girls in this school. Daichi, you’re so lucky, I wish I was in business management.”_

_“Shimizu and I are not dating, stop spreading these rumors Kuroo,” sighed Daichi. “We’re just good friends. And we were having dinner because we were in a good mood that day. Oikawa just happened to be there with his posse of fangirls, but he just happened to be a huge dick and try seducing Shimizu.”_

_“I was being friendly,” snarled Oikawa, pissed that they were bringing up this horrid memory that he wanted to quickly forget. “She was rude as hell. No wonder you guys are close.”_

_“Damn, you are soooo salty,” giggled Bokuto. “Even I know when to give up.”_

_Oikawa kicked Bokuto. He let out whimper._

_“Geez, you need to lighten up,” whined Bokuto. “It’s not the end of the world when you get rejected.”_

_“I never said it was,” hissed Oikawa. “And don’t face me, your breath smells nasty. It smells like garlic bread.”_

_“Well yeah, we had garlic bread for dinner,” defended Bokuto._

_“Just shut up and go to sleep,” snapped back Oikawa. “It already sucks that we’re in this situation, but I can’t bear to hear you continue to talk. You make my brain hurt.”_

_“You’re one to talk,” muttered Daichi. Oikawa gave another kick and Daichi grunted._

_“All of you just shut up,” ordered Oikawa._

_“Yes, everyone, we should be quiet. The queen needs her beauty sleep,” joked Kuroo. Bokuto and Daichi burst out in laughter as Oikawa steamed silently. If he was closer to him, Oikawa would have pinched him. Hard._

_It was silent after that. Everyone was tired and cold, so no one had the excess energy to argue._

_“Guys, can I hold your hand?” Bokuto asked suddenly, his voice hoarse. “I’m so cold.”_

_“Fine,” sighed Kuroo. Bokuto grabbed onto Kuroo’s hand and Oikawa felt his hands being clasped by an ice cold hand._

_“I didn’t give you permission,” grimaced Oikawa, but he didn’t shake him off._

_Daichi coughed for the tenth time in a row and Oikawa felt a pang of guiltiness. He deliberated for a quick second, and then proceeded to cover Daichi’s cold body with his blanket._

_“Geez, you look a lot sturdier than you actually are,” retorted Oikawa._

_“Thanks,” said Daichi sleepily. He snuggled closer to Oikawa and Oikawa sighed._

_“Hey Oikawa,” asked Bokuto._

_“What is it now Bokuto,” replied Oikawa, not feeling sleepy at all._

_“Why do you want to be a director?” questioned Bokuto softly. “I mean, I hate to admit it, but you would make a good actor. You’ve got the looks and the charisma. I heard from some people that you have the acting chops too. So why not be an actor? You would get more attention. Being a director is so…bland. It doesn’t seem to fit you.”_

_“Nah, I think it fits him perfectly,” interrupted Kuroo before Oikawa had a chance to respond._

_“It’s not because I like to control people if that’s what you’re thinking,” said Oikawa. Most people assumed that’s why he wanted to direct, but that wasn’t the case at all. “Everyone has their own strengths. I want to be a director so I can draw out those strengths and make them more noticeable. And I believe a director has more power than an actor in that respect. I mean, actors have a lot of potential. I’m just telling them what they already know. They just don’t see it as plainly as I do, so I have to direct their attention to it.”_

_“Duh, I know that,” said Kuroo. “I wasn’t going to say you like being a director because you like bossing people around. All of us minus dumb Bokuto here know why you like directing so much. I mean, you work so hard to do it.”_

_Oikawa opened his mouth in surprise. “How do you know that?”_

_“Being a director is a good fit for you,” said Daichi suddenly. “You’re an arrogant guy, but when it comes down to it, you’re determined to make the actors shine. I’ve seen a couple of your works before. They’re good. It would be a waste for you to live your life as an actor. You’re better behind the camera. You have talent there.” He yawned as Oikawa couldn’t believe what he was just hearing. Was…was he being praised? By Sawamura Daichi?_

_“Well this is rare,” noted Kuroo. “Daichi praising Oikawa?”_

_“Don’t let it get to your head,” warned Daichi._

_Oikawa didn’t know how to describe this feeling. He should have felt satisfied or super pleased that Daichi was admitting his prowess in directing. But he wasn’t feeling any of these emotions at all. Oikawa couldn’t quite grasp it. He repeated the words in his head. “you have talent there.”_

_“I’m no genius though,” blurted out Oikawa._

_“So?” asked Daichi. “You have passion. I honestly believe passion and hard work shouldn’t be overlooked. People go crazy when they hear the word genius, but for me, the determination to succeed is more important. You know, I always noticed that about you. You try to cover up your insecurities because you think your weaknesses are a bad thing. But I don’t think you should be so conscious of that. There’s nothing wrong with being a hard-working person. You always say things just come naturally to you, but you should be truthful. I think it’s respectful that you stay up till late at night to perfect their work. Talent isn’t just born because one is a genius. Talent is a process where it blooms.” Oikawa remained silent. He was right; Daichi really did have a way with words. Who would have thought he would be inspired by the likes of him._

_“Why are you saying the obvious Daichi?” laughed Kuroo. “We all noticed that about Oikawa. We just didn’t want to say it because he would never stop reminding us of how great he is. It’s a friend’s job to keep a man humble.”_

_“We’re friends?” asked Oikawa. “Since when?”_

_“Since you decided to hold my hand,” chirped Bokuto. He snuggled closer to Oikawa._

_Oikawa rolled his eyes but he felt a smile on his lips. He didn’t know why but it felt nice. Even if Bokuto did smell little funky._

_“I only asked the question because you’re so knowledgeable Oikawa,” said Bokuto. “I hate to admit it, but you are one talented guy.” He grinned and Oikawa returned the grin._

_“Ok, enough talk about you, let’s talk about me!” exclaimed Bokuto. “Because I happen to be a genius in acting!”_

_“Oh geez,” sighed Daichi. “We should never have started talking about this.”_

_“Pft, you’re not a genius,” started Kuroo. “You couldn’t even memorize the lines for that speech the teacher gave us.”_

_“You didn’t either Kuroo!” said Bokuto._

_“It’s okay, I winged it.”_

_“Yeah and you did a terrible job too.”_

_“At least I didn’t freeze up there.”_

_“Hey, I passed the class, that’s all that matters.”_

_“You guys…” warned Daichi, and Oikawa laughed,  feeling so much lighter than he had ever felt before. It was so weird to think these three strangers who were now his roommates had completely seen through him. The wall that he had built up over the years was now slowly being teared down._

_“You guys are so stupid,” said Oikawa good naturedly. “But I suppose it’s a friend’s job to keep a man’s stupidity in check.”_

_“Rude,” said Kuroo and Bokuto at the same time, but they all snuggled closer together. The bond had been formed. And there was no way of going back._

The rest was history, as Oikawa would like to say. After that night, they continued their life,  arguing and bicker, but they were friends now. Oikawa knew everything about them, and they knew everything about him. They stuck with each other for the remaining years in college, going through everything together no matter what situation came up. That night, all of them vowed to reach their dreams, and their dreams were now a part of their reality. Bokuto was an actor, mostly known for his comedy skills. Kuroo was also an actor, and he was one of the best actors to play villainous roles. Oikawa was one of the best directors in Japan, and Daichi was a high ranking employee in the company that all of them belonged to. Everything just sort of fit in place.

“Oikawa, stop smiling like that, it’s creepy,” said Kuroo.

“My smiling face is gorgeous,” said Oikawa sweetly.

“Not as gorgeous as my face,” quipped back Bokuto.

“Check a mirror Bokuto,” joked Kuroo. He stared at Daichi who seemed visibly less stressed now. “Alright vegan daddy, it’s time for another one of our classics.”

Daichi widened his eyes. “Oh god no Kuroo. I still have work tomorrow so I’m going to have to pass. You guys should go have fun.”

“You can’t skip out!” ordered Bokuto. “Besides, who goes to work on a Sunday?!”

“Professionals,” said Daichi plainly.

“More like workaholics,” teased Oikawa. “Let’s just go Daichi. It’ll help to take your mind off things. Which by the way you haven’t told us about yet.”

Daichi crossed his arms. “The last time we did this, I had a major hangover. And a sore throat.”

“Aw, don’t be such a party pooper!” laughed Kuroo, slinging his long arm over Daichi’s shoulder.

“This is a really bad idea,” sighed Daichi, but he was defeated. Oikawa knew he couldn’t refuse his friends.

Bokuto gave his friend a mischievous smile. “This is going to be great! Trust me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

15 minutes already in, and it was chaotic. Even Oikawa had to question why he was here. He looked at Daichi with pity. He looked like he aged 30 years.

“Why are you looking so glum Daichi, we’re here for friggin’ Karaoke, not some funeral!” whined Bokuto.

“I already said I didn’t want to come,” said Daichi, glaring at Kuroo and Bokuto. “And you guys keep singing K-pop songs. Like really obnoxious ones.”

“Dude, this is the trend. It’s globally popular,” said Kuroo as Oikawa drank his soda. He and Daichi drove their car, so they couldn’t afford to drink now.

“Just because you guys got to feature in a Korean movie doesn’t mean you can become k-pop idols,” replied Daichi dryly. “Your pronunciation is terrible.”

“Well, we all can’t be fluent in Korean like some people!” retorted Bokuto, offended that his friends were critiquing his language and singing skills.

“I suppose we just happen to fit in the some people category,” said Oikawa with a sly smile.

“It’s not fair,” griped Bokuto. “We all took a Korean class in college, so why the heck are you and Daichi so fluent?”

“Because we actually studied while you guys went out to drink before the day of an exam,” said Daichi like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Hey, I am proud of my Korean skills,” bellowed Kuroo. “Sure, we’re not fluent like you two smarties, but it’s sufficient enough. We scored that role in the Korean movie with our mad skills Bokuto.”

“Isn’t Ushijima like fluent in 7 languages?” taunted Daichi.

“Why you gotta hurt us like that Daichi,” complained Bokuto. “You know what, we’re going to skip your turn to sing because you are being such a meanie.”

“Then is it my turn to sing?” asked Oikawa, ready to take the mic when Kuroo and Bokuto clung onto their mics.

“Since you two are so displeased with our fabulous rendition of our K-pop song, we’ll sing another song,” chortled Kuroo.

“Oh hell no,” opposed Daichi. He gave Oikawa an irritated expression. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“I’m coming with you,” said Oikawa, getting up from his seat as well just as the song started to play. Bokuto and Kuroo couldn’t seem to care less as they started belching out the first few notes of the song.

“MAKING MY WAY DOWNTOWN, WALKING FAST, FACES PAST AND I’M HOMEBOUND,” screeched the crazy duo trying to stop Daichi and Oikawa from leaving the room.

“Get off me you dorks,” barked Daichi, grabbing the door handle. Oikawa clung onto Daichi’s arms so he could escape from this singing disaster.

“Hurry back soon!” pestered Bokuto as Oikawa and Daichi safely escaped.

“We’re free,” sighed Daichi.

Oikawa let out a sigh too. “For now.”

“I really do need to use the bathroom though,” replied Daichi.

“I think earlier the front desk said their bathroom is unavailable because of remodeling. They said to use the bathroom upstairs,” recalled Oikawa.

Both of them took the stairs to get to the upper floor and found the bathroom to their left. After completing business, they washed their hands and left the bathroom. Daichi looked around the dimly lit upper floor.

“It certainly is dark here,” mused Daichi.

“I think it’s a bar,” added Oikawa. He grinned at Daichi. “Wanna check it out? We can just ditch the other two and have drinks.”

Daichi retuned the grin. “If I didn’t bring my car, I would totally take you up on that offer,” he admitted.

“Let’s just order non-alcoholic drinks,” suggested Oikawa, heading towards the interior of the bar. “I’m sure those knuckleheads won’t miss us too much. They probably forgot about us already actually.”

“That’s true, knowing them,” laughed Daichi, walking into the bar with Oikawa. A man in a waiter outfit approached them earnestly.

“Hello!” he bowed. “Thank you for visiting our bar!”

“Hello!” chirped Oikawa with a small wave. He let the waiter take them to a nice table and he set down some menus.

“We have so many options here,” the waiter babbled. “Some of our best alcoholic drinks include-“

“Aw, we can’t drink because we brought our cars,” drawled Oikawa with a pout. He winked at the flustered waiter. “Can you just get us your best non-alcoholic drinks? Something nice and fruity?” He sealed the deal with a sweet smile, and the waiter’s entire face turned red.

“O-Of course sir,” stuttered the waiter.

“Thank you,” cooed Oikawa, handing back the menus. The waiter quickly scurried away, and Daichi stared at Oikawa.

“What?” asked Oikawa.

 “You need to stop flirting with every cute guy you see,” smirked Daichi.

Oikawa gasped. “Me? Flirt?” Oikawa threw back his head and laughed. “Oh my god Daichi, you call that flirting?” He shook his head and smiled at Daichi. “I was just being amiable.”

Daichi rolled his eyes. “You were definitely flirting. No doubt about it.”

“I’m so disappointed in you Daichi, you’ve known me for more than four years and you think that was an example of me flirting?” replied Oikawa. He smiled deviously and pointed to a table full of beautiful women. “Should I show you how I truly flirt?”

Daichi crossed his arms in annoyance. “I’m not challenging you or anything Oikawa.”

Oikawa continued to grin. He loved getting on Daichi’s nerves. He was so fun to tease. He got up and grabbed Daichi arm. “Let’s go talk to the girls over there,” he said. “They look fun.”

“You go, I’m staying here,” objected Daichi, trying to get away from Oikawa’s grip, but Oikawa wouldn’t let go.

“C’mon Daichi, there’s nothing wrong with befriending a pretty lady,” purred Oikawa.

“Stop. This. Now,” Daichi responded in an aggravated tone, gritting his teeth. Oikawa knew this was so unfair to his friend, but he loved making his friend uncomfortable. He pulled Daichi from his seat and whispered into his ear. “You need to get that stick out of your ass. I’ll show you how to have fun.” He threw Daichi another one of his signature smiles, and Daichi steamed.

“You fucking sadist,” he groaned. “I can’t believe I’m regretting that I left the karaoke room.”

“Then you shouldn’t have said I was flirting with that waiter,” sang Oikawa, dragging Daichi to the table full of chattering ladies. “Because now you’re making me want to prove myself.”

“You don’t have to prove anything,” pleaded Daichi as they were nearing the approaching table. “Fuck Oikawa, you’re a famous celebrity, probably more famous than most actors! What if the girls say something to someone-“

Too late. They were already at the table, and the girls looked at the two men in confusion.

“Um, hi?” a girl with dark brown hair giggled.

“Mind if we join you?” asked Oikawa sweetly.

“Sure!” gushed the girls at once, making room for them. Oikawa sat right near the middle, and Daichi silently sat next to Oikawa.

“What do you guys do?” asked one of the girls curiously. She looked at Oikawa closely and gasped. “Wait a minute, oh my god, aren’t you Oikawa Tooru?”

Daichi groaned softly and put his hands to his face. “We’re getting out of here,” he demanded, sitting up, but Oikawa immediately made Daichi sit down.

“What bad manners Daichi,” teased Oikawa. “These girls kindly let us sit here, we should treat them at least, don’t you think?” He smiled sweetly to the girl who had asked the question. “I am indeed Oikawa. I’m surprised you girls know me.”

“Who doesn’t know you!?” shrieked the girls in excitement.

“We’re actually new actresses,” explained a woman in pink. “We made the auditions for K agency, and the seniors at the agency decided to treat us out tonight!” She gave Oikawa a flirtatious smile. “I didn’t think we would run into you here though.”

“What a coincidence,” smiled Oikawa. He could see Daichi cringing next to him. “The man next to me works at the company I’m in. He’s a pretty high ranking employee, aren’t you Daichi?”

“Ooh, that sounds pretty authoritative,” chimed in a pale girl with dark lipstick who was sitting next to Daichi. She touched his shoulders seductively, and Daichi twitched.

“Oh he is, trust me,” replied Oikawa, enjoying this way more than he should have. Just then, the sound of high heels could be heard, and a very tall woman approached the table.

    “Is that who I think it is?” came the familiar voice and Oikawa instantly froze. This voice sounded exactly like someone he knew. He slowly looked up and locked eyes with the speaker of the voice. Oikawa swallowed hard.

“Juri-chan,” he managed to spit out.

Migawa Juri smiled, giving a small wave. “Hello Oikawa. Pleasure to see you. It’s been so long since we last saw each other.”

And I prefer it that way, thought Oikawa bitterly. He gave Juri a fake smile. “These your new girls in your agency?”

“Yes, most of us are out celebrating with them,” said Juri.

Oikawa nodded. God, he hated how perfect she looked. That straight black hair, those big round brown eyes, the bright red lips…she was probably one of the prettiest, most talented actresses in this country. If Ushijima was the best actor in Japan, Juri was the best actress in Japan. Juri had no equal. Ever since her debut, Juri had been highly praised by critics. Oikawa hated how easily successful she was.

“Hi Daichi, it’s nice to see you too!” She greeted in her unusual low voice. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

Daichi quickly got up from his seat. “We were just about to leave,” he lied. “The company needs us. Sorry, but it seems like we gotta run.” He laughed awkwardly and tried to leave the table with Oikawa when Juri spoke again.

“ _He’s_  coming here too you know,” she said. “You should greet each other.”

Oikawa clenched his hands into fists. He glared at Juri who smiled at him innocently. “Why don’t you stick around and say hi Oikawa? I’m sure you miss him. I mean it's been so long, right? You must be terribly lonely. ” 

“How dare you,” he hissed, suddenly lunging at Juri. He grabbed her shoulders and the girls sitting at the table gasped in surprise.

“Oikawa,” reminded Daichi in a low voice. “Look where we are right now.” Oikawa stared at the girls who were shocked at his sudden action to Juri, and Oikawa closed his eyes. Damn it. He let go of Juri’s shoulders, and smiled at her darkly.

“Have a fun time Juri,” he finished. “It was nice seeing you.” With that, Oikawa turned around and left the bar, Daichi following him closely behind. Instead of going to the karaoke room though, he went straight to the parking lot.

“Wait, Oikawa!” called out Daichi, running after Oikawa’s quick paces. “God, slow down! And why are you getting into your car?!”

“I need to leave,” said Oikawa, opening his car door. “I can’t stay here.”

Daichi stopped Oikawa from closing the door. “Oikawa, calm down.”

Oikawa glared at his friend. “I can’t, ok Daichi?” he spat out, hitting his steering wheel. “You know how much I try to avoid that bitch, and then she sees me with her stupid girls. She’s practically rubbing it in. God. I wish I could kill her.” He let out a deep breath of anger. “She’s rubbing it in my face!” Oikawa felt tears forming in his eyes. “FUCK!” he swore, slumping now. He punched his steering wheel in furious motion, causing one of his knuckles to bleed. Daichi just watched him silently.

“It’s not fair,” whispered Oikawa, the tears streaming down his face. “How can she just say that to me? It’s all her fault.”

“Oikawa,” said Daichi softly.

“I swear to god, it’s all her fault!” Oikawa screamed, unable to contain his bursting emotions. He tried hitting his steering wheel again, but Daichi held onto Oikawa’s hands and held them steady.

“Don’t hurt yourself like this,” begged Daichi. “You’re bleeding Oikawa. Please stop.” He tenderly touched his friend’s hands as Oikawa cried softly in the dark night.

“I miss him so much,” choked out Oikawa. “Every day, I tell myself I managed to survive living another day without him, but I can feel myself dying inside bit by bit. I hate feeling like this Daichi. Why does it hurt so much? It’s so painful.” Oikawa continued to cry in huge sobs. Daichi hugged him tight and patted him softly on his back.

“You’re going to be ok Oikawa,” reassured Daichi. “You have me and Bokuto and Kuroo. We’re always here for you. I know we can’t fill the void in your heart, but no matter what, we’ll never leave you.” He gave Oikawa a warm smile. He wiped Oikawa’s tears with his handkerchief.   

 “Gosh, you look so ugly like this,” he teased lightly. “No one would want to date you, you’re such an ugly crier.”

“Shut up,” laughed Oikawa, thankful that his friend was there for him. He sighed. “I’m going to just head home now. Tell the others for me, will you?”

“Alright, make sure to treat your hand when you get home,” ordered Daichi as he closed his car door.

Oikawa started driving slowly back to his home. He was so glad that Daichi was there. He didn’t know what would have happened if his friend wasn’t with him. Oikawa could have literally choked Juri back there. Oikawa clenched the steering wheel tightly. He needed to control his emotions better. Honestly, it was a miracle that he hadn’t come across her often, especially since they were in the same industry. They were bound to cross each other’s paths more frequently now. Up till now, Oikawa had been careful, but there was no telling in what could happen later in the future. Oikawa rubbed his eyes wearily and sighed. Where did he go wrong? Oikawa thought back to his college days, and tears slowly made its way back to his eyes again.  

_It would have been better if we never met_ thought Oikawa miserably. _What am I supposed to do?_

_I miss you so much Iwa-chan._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this chapter in the beginning, and then near the end my heart started to hurt. :(   
> As always, thank you for reading!


	5. Scene 5: For Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu tries to convince Hinata to not give up his dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighttt, time for my favorite baby's time to shine!   
> There's a really sad scene in this chapter, but I tried to make up for it with cuteness and fluff!
> 
> Song of the day: iKON - AIRPLANE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nc9Sk6Omp4)

"I'm home," bellowed out Hinata, closing his apartment door behind him. He took off his sneakers and threw them to the side, letting them join the mess of his other shoes that were compiled into a huge pile. He sniffed, smelling the delicious aroma that was enveloping the air, and he headed towards the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a short girl with long straight brown hair in a pink apron cooking up some food.  Hearing the approaching steps, she turned around and smiled instantly.

"Onii-chan, welcome back!" she squealed, setting down her spatula to hug her older brother tightly. She released him from her tight grasp to examine his smiling face. "You must be so hungry!"

"I'm starving," whined Hinata, pinching his adorable baby sister's cheeks. He looked at the array of food that was settled on the small dinner table. "Wow, you made a ton of food!"

"To celebrate!" chirped his sister. "It's Sunday tomorrow, your first day off in a long while! I wanted to make you all your favorite food!" She grabbed something off the frying pan and lovingly fed her older brother. "What do you think? I looked up the recipe to make this." She looked at Hinata with big hopeful eyes.

Hinata chewed thoughtfully. He gulped the food down and snapped his fingers. "Unbelievable," he said in a serious voice. "Natsu, you could set up a restaurant right now, and people from all over the world would come just to eat your food."

 

Natsu punched Hinata lightly. "Geez, stop exaggerating," she said, but there was a smile on her tiny face.cHinata patted Natsu's head. "You're the best," he said happily, kissing the top of her soft head.

She beamed at him and quickly dragged him to the dinner table. "Let's hurry up and eat before everything gets too cold."

She placed the food from the frying pan onto a big plate and settled it down the middle of the table. Grabbing two bowls, she scooped rice into them, and set them carefully, one in front of her brother, and the other in front of her. Hinata touched the steaming bowl slightly and then bowed his head. "Itadakimasu," he said gratefully, and then began to eat. "Wow, this is so good Natsu!"

"It better be, I worked hard to make you all this!" chirped Natsu, eating some of her hand-made food as well. "Try this kimchi. Mina-chan and I worked really hard to make it. It's not too spicy either."

Hinata picked up some kimchi with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He nodded in satisfaction. "Nicely done!" he complimented, grabbing more kimchi from the plate. "You’re such a pro at Korean food now. What would I do without you." 

Natsu giggled, and Hinata knew that if they both weren't eating right now, he would give her a big bear hug and smother her with kisses. He was so lucky to have Natsu as his younger sister. Even though their parents passed away, and he missed them dearly, he was thankful he still had Natsu. Natsu was everything to him. As long as his beautiful sister was safe and happy, Hinata couldn't ask for anything more. The two lived a humble life, and they often struggled to make ends meet, but having Natsu by his side gave him strength. 

 

"I'm so used to you in your brown hair now," sighed Hinata. "I still wish you didn't dye it though."

Natsu pouted. "Aww, onii-chan you need to get over it," she sniffed. She twirled her soft brown hair. "I hated my old hair. The color was gross, and no matter how many times I brushed it, it was always so curly. The hair I have right now is miles better." She pointed to Hinata's hair. "You should go to the hair salon and get it changed too."

Hinata instinctively touched his hair. "I like it, it makes me unique," he defended. Natsu frowned. "You would be so much better looking if you styled your hair though."

Hinata shrugged and stuck out his tongue. "I hate following the trends."

"But no one has hair like this," whined Natsu. "At least get a straight perm?"

"I am NOT getting a straight perm Natsu," stated Hinata stubbornly. "Over my dead body."

Natsu rolled her eyes in annoyance. She clicked her tongue and continued eating.

The siblings shifted the conversation to how their day went today. Natsu talked about school and how much fun she had playing volleyball during gym period while Hinata listened attentively. He loved how her eyes shined whenever she talked. It was the cutest thing ever. He could listen to her talk about the most mundane things ever, and he would still find it adorable.

"So, how was work?" asked Natsu after finishing talking about school. "Anything interesting happen or was it the usual?"

Hinata ate the last bit of his rice, and Natsu scooped up more rice from their rice maker and put it in his bowl. He thought tentatively for a quick second. "It was the same," he said slowly. Hinata worked a plethora of part-time jobs, and one of them included being a delivery man who had to deliver heavy barrels and crates to warehouses. Sometimes, things could get dangerous, and today just happened to be one of those days. He was carrying a heavy crate when a machine in the warehouse he stopped by at accidentally malfunctioned. Hinata consciously tugged at his sleeves to hide the ugly scar that had resulted from today’s accident with the crane machine. It’s not like scars and bruises were anything new. In fact, Hinata lost count of how many he had. They were now a part of his small body, much to Natsu’s horror. He remembered when Natsu had discovered all his injuries when she accidently walked in on him when he was taking a shower. She wouldn’t stop crying, and Hinata had to hold her the entire night to calm her down, whispering that he was okay, and it didn’t hurt. It was the second hardest thing he had to do, the first being having to deal with the aftermath of his parents’ death.

“Nothing happened, right?” asked Natsu, suspiciously. She scanned her brother from top to bottom. “You better not lie to me.”

“Natsu, believe me, nothing happened today,” lied Hinata with a bright smile. “I’ve been incredibly lucky these past few months.”

Natsu still eyed him, not trusting his words. “You promise you’re okay?”

Hinata patted his sister’s head to comfort her. “I promise.” _Sorry Natsu_ thought Hinata. _I swore to you that I would never lie to you, but in order to protect you, I have to betray that promise._

Hinata decided to change the subject since the mood was starting to get gloomy. “So, what did you want to do tomorrow? It is my day off after all.” He started listing off suggestions. “Should we go to the movies? Or the amusement park? Ooh, or maybe do a food tour? The zoo sounds nice too, I know how much you love penguins.” Hinata ended with a chuckle. “So? The choice is up to you.”

“Well, actually,” said Natsu slowly, starting to fidget in her chair. She twirled her hair in an anxious manner, a habit that she started to develop when she was nervous.

Hinata tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Everything alright?” he asked. “If you want to stay in tomorrow, we can do that too. We can always bake with Mina-chan also.”

“Onii-chan, take a look at this,” replied Natsu, suddenly thrusting her pink cellphone in front of Hinata’s face. He blinked at the bright screen. “Crow Entertainment holding auditions at 1 PM for aspiring actors. Come to achieve your dreams,” he read slowly. He stared back at his younger sister who stared back at him earnestly.

“Well?” she pressed.

Hinata scratched his head. “Um, you want to audition to be an actress?”

“No, you baka!” snapped Natsu. “I’m not showing you this because I want to audition.”

Hinata frowned. “It’s not nice to call your older brother a baka Natsu,” chided Hinata, although he was hardly hurt.

“A baka is a baka,” continued Natsu. She pointed to her phone screen. “I’m showing you this so you can go audition.”

Hinata almost spit out his tea that he was drinking. “Natsu, what are you talking about,” he managed to choke out.

“Unlike you, I’m not an idiot,” remarked Natsu, crossing her thin arms. “I know how much you gave up for me after mom and dad died. You just graduated high school, and you didn’t go on to college. You completely stopped going to your theater group to focus on your jobs in order to raise me. You gave up your dreams on becoming an actor all for me. I know all that. I know it so well.” Tears started to collect in Natsu’s eyes. “I always felt so sorry Onii-chan. I made you give up your dream and instead of living a fun life like a 23 year old should, you come home with fresh scars and bruises every day, lying to my face that you’re okay when you’re not.” 

“You didn’t make me do anything Natsu,” said Hinata soothingly, coming over to Natsu’s side to console her. He tried to hug her, but Natsu pushed her brother away.

“I want you to be happy too Onii-chan,” she cried, tears now streaming down her face. Hinata helplessly watched her small body heave heavy sobs. “You deserve so much more than this life.”

Hinata tenderly cupped his younger sister’s face with his calloused hands. “I’m happy Natsu,” he said gently, stroking her wet cheeks. “I’m not lying when I say that. You are my happiness.” He kissed her cheek softly, and Natsu gave him a tight hug, stuffing her face in her older brother’s warm embrace. “I’m so glad I have you Natsu. I…I wouldn’t be able to live if it wasn’t for you. You are my reason for living.” Hinata felt Natsu grip onto his back more tightly.

“I glad I have you too,” she sniffed. “I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t with me. You are my everything Onii-chan. As long as you can smile and laugh, I can’t ask for anything more. I wouldn’t trade you for anything else in the world. Even for EXO in all their glory.”

Hinata couldn’t help bursting out in laughter after that last comment. Natsu let go of her brother, a pout forming on her tear-streaked face.

“I’m serious Onii-chan!” she whined in between hiccups. “Mina-chan is so obsessed with them. She keeps showing me their music videos, and she tried making me join their fanclub.”

“You’re not a normal 17 year old girl Natsu, other girls your age are in love with EXO,” joked Hinata as he wiped Natsu’s tears with his sleeves.

Natsu puffed out her chest in pride. “What can I say, I’m not your average girl.”

Hinata nodded in agreement. “Yeah, instead you have the soul of a granny who likes making Kimchi and pastries. Oh, and instead of fangirling cute looking guys, you thirst after guys that are much older than you.” Natsu blushed as Hinata gave her a thumbs up. “Yep, that’s my sister for you!”

Natsu hit her brother’s head with a spoon, making a loud thunk sound.

“Ow Natsu,” winced Hinata, rubbing his head. “How many times do I have to tell you not to hit my head with our spoon? I’m losing brain cells.”

“It’s ok, you don’t have much to begin with,” retorted Natsu, but she kissed her brother’s head. Hinata grinned at her. He was glad that she was no longer crying. A crying Natsu just broke his heart. He couldn’t handle his sister being sad, and even though Natsu said she didn’t cry easily, he knew the truth.

“So, should we watch EXO videos with Mina-chan tomorrow?” teased Hinata, not caring if Natsu hit him again.

“Aw geez, stop it,” grumbled Natsu. She took a deep breath, and suddenly held her brother’s hands. “You don’t have to do anything with me tomorrow. Just go to the audition.”

Hinata frowned. “I told you Natsu, I don’t regret giving up becoming an actor,” he lied. Crap, was lying to her becoming a habitual thing now? “There’s no point in me becoming an actor now. I’m not interested. You’re my main priority.” He smiled, but Natsu glared at him.

“Then why do you always watch the Small Giant?”

Hinata froze. He stood up instantly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said sharply.

“Oh please, you can’t fool me,” scoffed Natsu. “Even on days when you come home late, you’re always watching his films and dramas.”

“Natsu, have you been keeping tabs on me?!”

Natsu hit her brother with the spoon again. “I’m always the one who turns the damn tv off!” she exclaimed, incredulous at her brother’s stupidity. “Did you think it just turned off magically?!”

Hinata rubbed the spot where his sister hit him again with the metal spoon. Why was she so strong? The girl weighed only 110 pounds! “Just because I watch the Small Giant, it doesn’t mean I still want to be an actor,” he said stubbornly, refusing to admit the truth. “I just really admire and respect him. That’s all.”

Natsu rolled her eyes. “Who are you fooling onii-chan,” she sighed. “I see the way you look at those actors. You have that wistful look in your eyes. That look of regret is so obviously planted on your face. You say you gave up your dream, but your heart says otherwise. You still want to act. I know you do. So please stop lying.” She eyed Hinata with a fierce gaze. “Take the audition. There’s no harm in trying.”

Hinata opened up his mouth to protest, but Natsu continued to speak. “And don’t you dare talk about money,” she growled. “We’ll manage. We still have a lot of money left over from the bake sale we did with Mina-chan. And we’re planning on selling our hand-made kimchi to some grocery stores.”

Hinata gaped at his 17 year old sister. “Since when were you and Mina-chan entrepreneurs?” He knew that his sister and her best friend were talented in cooking and baking, but he had no idea that they had business plans. They were only high schoolers! Hinata sighed to himself. Girls were so scary.

“Well?!” exclaimed Natsu, impatiently waiting for an answer. She tapped her foot, the floor creaking as it made contact.

Hinata groaned out loud. “Isn’t Crow Entertainment one of the best talent agencies in the country though? I don’t have any merit to my name. Why would they bother picking me?”

Natsu raised an eyebrow. “Onii-chan, are you actually NOT confident?” she questioned. Hinata immediately rolled his eyes.

“I’m just saying,” he muttered, looking down at his feet. Natsu clicked her tongue and raised her brother’s chin. She then clasped her small hands on her brother’s cheeks and started stretching them.

“What are you doing Natsu,” growled Hinata, annoyed that their roles were reversed now.

“Oppa, I’ve always been fascinated by how stretchable your cheeks are. I mean, when you stuff your face with food, you look like a fat chipmunk,” joked Natsu, not letting of her brother’s cheeks.

“Natsu…”warned Hinata.

“C’mon, it doesn’t hurt to try out. If you don’t get in, you can always try another company. Although I personally think Crow Entertainment is better than the rest,” responded Natsu who let go of Hinata’s face. She grinned. “What’s the worst that can happen? You’re already a nobody.”

“Geez, thanks, as if I didn’t know that already,” sniffed Hinata, rubbing his sore cheeks. Seriously, why was she so damn strong? Natsu definitely took after their mother. Hinata remembered their mom used to stretch his cheeks when he refused to clean up his room.  Natsu must have seen this over the years and learned from her. What great parenting.

“Don’t be scared Oppa!” shouted Natsu, pointing a finger at Hinata. She stood on her chair so she could look down on him.

“I’m not scared!” protested Hinata. “I have no reason to be!”

“Exactly!” stressed Natsu, her voice getting louder by the second. “Who cares if you’re a bit shorter than the average guy? Or if you have ridiculous hair? And yes, you’re a baka, but you are one hell of a talented guy!”

“I can’t tell if I’m being praised or insulted,” sighed Hinata.

“Both!” laughed Natsu. She jumped off from the chair, and Hinata caught her with his arms.

“Careful,” he grunted.

“Oppa, achieve your dream!” pleaded Natsu in a softer voice. “Show them you can be another Small Giant! No- you can surpass the Small Giant! Because I know more than anyone how much you love acting. When you act Onii-chan, you change the atmosphere in the room. You can move hearts.”

Hinata bit his lip in contemplation. When he was in elementary school, he saw a film which starred an actor who was famously nicknamed the Small Giant. He had a short stature, but his acting talent surpassed all the tall actors put together. Hinata was always conscious about his height, but the Small Giant became a pillar of hope for him. He lit a fire in Hinata. Watching the Small Giant made Hinata fall in love with acting. He signed up to be in the school’s theater club, and even though no one gave him a second look, Hinata worked hard behind the scenes. Whether he was an extra, or a tree, he didn’t care. He just loved the stage. He loved seeing the audience enjoy the performance. He even loved the curtain call because as bittersweet as it was, pride and bliss bubbled inside of him. He was sad another performance had ended, but he was always looking forward to the next one.

“You were great!” his parents would always say after the show. Hinata didn’t have many lines, but his parents beamed and praised him like he was the main lead. Natsu would always clap and squeal whenever Hinata was on stage.

“I’m going to be an actor,” Hinata had vowed to his parents. “I’m going to be Japan’s best.”

 “We look forward to it!” they had said.

But they wouldn’t be able to. They left the world too soon. Hinata was 15, Natsu was only 9 years old. They were returning from the countryside that day, but an unfortunate car accident occurred on a deserted road. Hinata could still remember the car destroyed and upside down. His father was unconscious, his head bleeding. The smell of sulfur and smoke made Hinata gag. His mother was screaming for Hinata to take Natsu out of the car.

“Hinata please wake up!” she begged crying. “Please don’t die!” Hinata had grabbed his mother’s hands in fear.

“You can’t die either!” he began screaming. His mother’s face had horrified him. Her head was cracked, and her eyes disfigured.

“You and Natsu need to get out of the car!” urged his mother, gasping for air. The smoke in the car was suffocating everyone in the car due to the lack of oxygen. It was getting harder to breathe every second.

“What about you guys?!” cried Hinata. “I can’t leave you guys!”

“We’ll be okay Shouyou,” his mother had said. “I promise you!”

Hinata doesn’t know how he managed to save Natsu. All he knows is that he used every last of his strength to escape the burning car, holding Natsu’s body tightly. He placed her at a safe distance from the car.

“Hold on, I’m coming to save you!” he had screamed, running to the car again to free his parents. He threw a rock to shatter the glass, and he winced when a shard hit his face. He could feel the blood running down on his face. “Don’t worry mom, you’re going to be okay! You ‘re going to be ok!” He tried to furiously undo her seat belt, but it was stuck. Hinata had kept trying to free her, but the belt wouldn’t budge. The car continued to burn, the temperature getting dangerously high. Hinata desperately looked at his parents. If he didn’t do something fast, it would be too late.

“Shouyou, you need to leave,” his mother had said in a cracked voice.

“I’m not leaving you!” he shouted, crying. Why was he so useless? He hated how weak he was. He heard Natsu sobbing in the background.

“You need to protect Natsu,” his mother said, touching Hinata tenderly. “We leave her to you Shouyou.”

Hinata shook his head furiously. “Don’t say that please,” he sobbed. “We always promised to be together. I can’t take of Natsu by myself.”

His mother had given him one last beautiful smile before she passed out. The car suddenly made a sparking sound, and alarmed, Hinata backed away from the car. He ran to Natsu who was crying uncontrollably. He held her tightly and ran as far away as he could from the burning car. 

It took only a few seconds for the car to explode. In horror, Hinata had looked back. His parents were gone. The only thing in front of him in this cursed, isolated road was a red flame slowly rising from the burned ashes.

_I love you and Good-bye_ his parents seemed to whisper in the wind as Hinata could only watch, helpless. He collapsed to his knees, hugging Natsu tightly.

_I’m so sorry_ Hinata wanted to scream, but he could find no words to speak to let out his anguish. _I’m so sorry._

After the accident, Hinata and Natsu were sent to live with his relatives, but they were not very welcoming. Hinata had quit theater club, and he worked part-time jobs to prepare living independently with Natsu after he graduated from high school. He had no plans to go to college or pursue his dream of becoming an actor, even if he did make a vow to his parents. His dreams didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was protecting Natsu. Those were his mom’s last wishes. He needed to protect Natsu. That’s what mattered now.

“You are always my priority Natsu,” said Hinata suddenly, snapping out of his deep thoughts. He looked at her with tearful eyes.

“I know,” said Natsu quietly. “But that doesn’t mean you need to quench your heart’s desire.” She held Hinata’s hands tightly. “You promised mom and dad. To be Japan’s best. I remember.” She smiled kindly at her older brother’s tearful face. “So I want to help you. Please Onii-chan. Let’s try. Let’s run towards your dream again.”

A tear escaped Hinata’s eye, and Natsu softly kissed the tear to wipe it away.

“Ok,” Hinata affirmed. “I’ll do it.”

Natsu gave her brother a tight embrace and giggled. “We’re such crybabies.”

Hinata cracked a smile. “Yeah. You shouldn’t cry too much Natsu. Now your eyes are going to be all puffy tomorrow.”

Natsu stuck out her tongue. She then hit Hinata with the spoon for the third time.

Hinata yelped out in pain. Natsu was probably going to get rid of all his brain cells at this rate.

“What was that for?” he complained. He pouted, and Natsu winked at him.

“For luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a sucker for sibling relationships...LOL.   
> And yes, Natsu calls Hinata onii-chan AND Oppa (it means older brother in Korean). Why not? It's cute, and they have a cute relationship.   
> Thank you for reading my story! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment! I appreciate them :)


	6. Scene 6: Determination and Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ukai finds out about the project, and the team holds their first meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot happens in this chapter, but it's still pretty important 
> 
> Song of the day: IU- Really Hate you (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID_oxmfegsk)

            “You called for us, Ukai-san?” asked Daichi, arriving in his room with Shimizu. He noticed Takeda-san in the corner of the room looking nervous. This was not a good sign.

            “Care to explain this?!” growled Ukai, slamming a newspaper on his desk. Daichi winced and peered at the headline. He sighed as Shimizu adjusted her glasses. 

            “Don’t you think it’s a little weird to hear what goes on in the company from the media and not from my own people?!” exclaimed Ukai angrily. “Not even my own secretary told me! I had to find out through this damn newspaper!”

            “Ukai-san, I really meant to tell you as soon as you landed from your plane but you came back sooner than expected,” stuttered Takeda, trying to calm Ukai down who was absolutely livid.

            “I don’t expect much from the Company’s Board, but I thought at least you guys were on my side,” rambled on Ukai, loosening his blue tie. He really wanted to take a smoke now.

            Daichi and Shimizu immeidately bowed. “We really do apologize,” replied Daichi. “Honestly, it all happened so fast. I have no idea how the media found out.”

            “Gossip travels fast obviously,” reminded Ukai. He eyed the trio in the room with irritation. “Everybody knew except for me, the fucking president of this company. Great. Thanks for showing me how much you respect me. I knew I couldn’t fill in my old fart’s shoes.” He laughed bitterly and sat in his chair in a dejected mood. It was only 3 months since he took on the role of president at Crow Entertainment. His grandfather was suddenly hospitalized, and the company had no choice but to bring in his delinquent looking grandson. Ukai firmly rejected the duty at first, but Takeda who was his grandfather’s secretary was so damn annoying like a mosquito, and eventually Ukai gave in. He didn’t want such a big responsibility, but everyone seemed desperate. Ukai knew he wasn’t as great as his grandfather, but he really did try. The company didn’t seem to acknowledge that however.

            “You are doing an amazing job,” complemented Shimizu. “We do not take you for granted.”

            Ukai rolled his eyes, and thrust the newspaper in her face with his hand. “THEN WHY IS SUGAWARA WORKING WITH THE MOST HATED DIRECTOR IN ALL OF HISTORY?”

            Takeda cleared his throat. “Kageyama Tobio is actually quite talented, he’s just a little…um…you know,” he chuckled nervously. “He has a difficult personality.”

            Ukai snorted. “That’s an understatement,” he corrected. “Never mind Sugawara, I’m even more amazed that the Board approved.”

            Daichi scratched his head. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “There were a lot of conditions.”

            “Yeah, I figured,” replied Ukai. “I bet if this project isn’t a success, Sugawara is going to lose his job here at Crow.”

            “He seems pretty confident,” assured Takeda. “I mean, this is Sugawara-san we are talking about. He can turn dirt into gold.”

            Ukai sighed. “I wish I had that much faith in him,” he said glumly. “If this web drama series doesn’t do well, we all might lose face. I’m sure you all don’t want that.” He looked at Daichi and Shimizu who just stared back at him. Ukai didn’t understand why these two didn’t stop Sugawara from this idea. Now it was a mess.

            “So, what are the conditions?” he asked.

            “The biggest one is that the viewership rating needs to surpass 15%,” started Daichi slowly, remembering the conditions the Board had listed in order to agree with Suga’s request.

            “Damn, 15%?” repeated Ukai in disbelief. “Well, we’re fucked.”

            “Please don’t give up hope so fast Ukai-san!” pleaded Takeda. “It’s not impossible to get 15%.”

            “Takeda-san, the best rating for a web drama was 9%, and the director was Oikawa,” reminded Ukai.

            “Well, they say Kageyama’s directing skills rivals that of Oikawa’s!” said Takeda, trying so hard to stay optimistic. Ukai felt a little bad for the man , even if he was extremely annoying.

            “What are the rest of the conditions?” inquired Ukai further.

            “Sugawara-san initially wanted the series to be 6 episodes, but we’re cutting it down to 4,” explained Shimizu. “The Board didn’t want to allocate so much of the company’s funds for this risky project in case it fails.”

            “Also, the leading actor cannot be from our company,” added Daichi. “So we’re actually holding auditions tomorrow.”

            Ukai widened his eyes. “What?!” He turned to Takeda who avoided his gaze. “Wow, another thing I wasn’t informed of. Nice.”

            “I just found out today too,” muttered Takeda, but Ukai didn’t hear. His mind was too focused on the supposed auditions they were having soon.

            “Who the hell is going to decide the actor?” demanded Ukai. “The Board? They won’t bother touching this project.”

            “We will be there along with Suga and Tsukishima and other people from the company,” responded Daichi. “And of course we need you there too since you are the president.” 

              “Only in name,” replied Ukai dryly. “Shit, I come back from an overseas trip, and this clusterfuck just happens to roll onto my lap.” He rubbed his temples in frustration. Daichi, Shimizu, and Takeda stood by silently, watching their blond-haired president.

            “We will do our best sir,” vowed Daichi, determination gripping his voice. “You can be sure of that.”

            “We won’t let you down,” agreed Shimizu. “This company is just as dear to us. We won’t let anything smear the name of Crow.”

            “Crow is such a stupid name anyways,” groaned Ukai, still cringing whenever he heard the Company’s name. Seriously, what was his grandfather thinking when he named the company Crow? Ukai had no idea how this became Japan’s leading talent agency. It must have been a fucking miracle, that’s for sure.

            “Whatever, let’s just try to minimize the damage as much possible,” finished Ukai. “You can go now.” Daichi and Shimizu bowed and left the room, leaving Ukai with Takeda.

            “This is such a hassle,” grumbled Ukai, throwing the newspaper in the garbage can. “Do these newspaper outlets have nothing to do but write crap about us?” He scowled at the headlines, which seemed to be mocking at him directly.

_Japan’s best writer with Japan’s worst director? Is this the end for Crow Entertainment?_

            “The only thing that’s going to end is your sorry newspaper career,” glowered Ukai. “Don’t look down on this company’s legacy.”

            “Nicely said Ukai-san,” chirped Takeda. He handed him a stack of folders. “These need to be reviewed.”

            Ukai sighed deeply. “Can’t I take a smoking break Takeda-san. My fingers are itching for a cigarette.”

            “I’m afraid not Ukai-san, we have too much to do,” apologized Takeda. “Perhaps after you finish these files?” He gave him a warm smile, and Ukai-kun reluctantly immersed himself to the workload that was upon him.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Alright, thanks for being here everyone,” greeted Suga, who was seated at the front of the long conference table. “This was kind of sudden, but I’m glad you could all make it here.” He smiled to everyone in the room. Everyone just blankly stared back at him. Suga knew right off the bat that this first meeting was very important.

            “Um, ok, let’s start off by introducing ourselves,” said Suga.

            “I really don’t think that’s necessary senpai, we all know each other,” remarked Tsukishima.

            Suga frowned. What a rude kouhai. Didn’t Tsukishima have some sense? “I’m going to ignore what you just said,” responded Suga with a sweet smile. Tsukishima scowled in return, and Suga secretly rolled his eyes. “Anyhow, I’m Sugawara Koushi, and I’m the main scriptwriter for this project. I’m very pleased to working with you all.” He nodded in Tsukishima’s direction. “Let’s continue introducing ourselves this way.”

            “Tch, how annoying,” muttered Tsukishima. He raised his voice so everyone could hear. “I’m Tsukishima, the assistant scriptwriter. Unlike my senpai, I’m not that excited about this project because of a certain someone-“

            Suga cleared his throat to interrupt his kouhai before a fight broke out. “Alright, moving along…”

            “I’m Sawamura Daichi, one of the PR employees here at Crow,” introduced Daichi.

            “Shimizu Kiyoko,” said Shimizu in a monotone voice.

            “Um, can we look alive a bit? Why is everyone so dead?” frowned Suga.

            “You’re seriously asking us?” hissed Tsukishima. He pointed to a frazzled looking black-haired young man who was none other than Kageyama. “It’s all because of this psycho.”

            “Excuse me?!” roared Kageyama. “I don’t happen to like you either.”

            “Oh, how hurtful,” retorted Tsukishima sarcastically.

            “Stop antagonizing me you dumbass!”

            “Oh, the stupid king knows words like antagonizing? You vocab list sure has grown.”

            “What did you just say?!”

            “Guys, stop fighting,” said Asahi nervously. He looked towards Suga who could only sigh. Honestly, Suga didn’t know what he was expecting. It’s not like he could force the two of them to be friends.

          “Please refrain from fighting,” ordered Shimizu. “We need to cooperate in order for this project to be a success.”

          “I just don’t want to breathe the same air with this dictator,” grumbled Tsukishima.

           “I can say the same thing,” uttered Kageyama. He turned to Suga. “You didn’t tell me Tsukishima was working on this project.”

           “I mean, he’s part of my team,” replied Suga. “He always has been my assistant scriptwriter.”

           “If I knew, I definitely would not have agreed to this,” went on Kageyama. That bastard’s chronic bitch face was so annoying.

           “Ok, you guys need to all shut up and just do your job properly,” demanded Daichi in a strict voice. “Our company’s reputation is on the line. Now, I am determined to make this project a success. Unless you all want to be the laughingstock of the entertainment field, you better set aside your differences and work together as one team. Understood?”

           Tsukishima clicked his tongue, but he said no more. Kageyama nodded reluctantly and Suga gave a thankful pat to Daichi.

          “Thank you for that intervention Daichi,” sighed Suga for probably the 50th time already. “I’m sorry Asahi, you didn’t get to introduce yourself…”

           Asahi just smiled. “I’m fine,” he reassured his friend. “Besides, Tsukishima is right. We already know each other.”

          “Did you request to work as the main cameraman Asahi-san?” asked Kageyama.

          Asahi blushed. “Yes, I hope you’re okay with that,” he said sheepishly.

         “Oh please, Asahi-san was forced by Suga just like I’m forced to work with you,” pointed out Tsukishima. “Who the hell would volunteer to be part of this fucking train      wreck.”

         “Tsukishima, please,” warned Suga as Kageyama sent death glares to the annoyed assistant scriptwriter.

        “Alright, let’s just get this meeting over with,” requested Daichi. “We need to do the auditions tomorrow so we should wrap up early.” 

       “I agree,” said Suga trying to avoid more fights. “Now, I gave everyone a copy of the first episode’s script. I hope we can pick out a promising actor that can clearly act out the protagonists’ ambitions.”

     They continued the meeting, and thankfully, Tsukishima and Kageyama didn’t lash out at each other. The meeting flowed smoothly, and after about an hour, Shimizu concluded the meeting.

    “Thank you so much for working with me,” bowed Suga, truly grateful. “I know we can succeed.” He smiled at Kageyama in particular who bit his lip.

   “I’ll see you all tomorrow!” chirped Suga. “Please remember, the audition starts at 1, so come to the auditorium before then.”

   Tsukishima was the first one to leave his seat and walk out the room. Kageyama quickly followed after him.

    “Hey!” He called out. “Can you stop running away from me?”

    Tsukishima wanted to punch the guy’s face. He turned around to face Kageyama defiantly. He was a couple centimeters taller than him, giving Tsukishima the advantage in terms of height.

  “Who says I’m running away?” snapped Tsukishima. “I just wanted to get home.”

 “You’re so fucking rude, you just left before anyone else,” snarled Kageyama.

  Tsukishima laughed. “Amazing, I can’t believe you’re calling me rude. I guess that’s the King for you.”

 Kageyama slammed Tsukishima up against the wall. “Don’t you dare call me that,” he hissed angrily. Tsukishima smiled darkly at him as he adjusted his glasses.

  “Why? Does it bring up bad memories? Hm?” he taunted.

Kageyama tightened his grip on Tsukishima’s collar, but Tsukishima didn’t stop.

“I heard the cast just walked out,” he continued, not caring how cruel this was to Kageyama. “They couldn’t handle your freakish orders anymore. I don’t blame them. The staff was having a hard time too. You fucking egotistical King.”

Kageyama had to control every desire in his body to wipe the smile off of Tsukishima’s face. He still had Tsukishima backed up wall, and he could hear footsteps approaching. He swallowed hard. He needed to stay calm and not give in to his emotions.

“I’m different,” said Kageyama through clenched teeth.

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes. “That’s up for me to decide,” he said coolly. He then glared fiercely at Kageyama, fire in his eyes. “If you ruin this for our company and the senpai’s, I will never forgive you as long as you live,” he replied in a quiet but firm voice. “You might not have anything to lose because you’re already a nobody in this field, but for the rest of us, our life is on the fucking line. So don’t do anything funny, got it?”

Kageyama released Tsukishima from his grasp. He returned the same fierce look with determination. “This project is going to be a success. I swear it.”     

 The two didn’t say anything and just continued to glare at each other. After a couple seconds, Tsukishima was the first one to turn around.

“It better be.” He walked away, leaving Kageyama restless. With a groan, Kageyama decided to walk back also to get home, when someone stepped out of the shadows. Kageyama widened his eyes. “Suga-senpai?”

Suga gave a small wave. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he apologized. Kageyama shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” He looked down at his feet.

“I’m sorry about Tsukishima. He…he has a good heart even though he acts like that. Surely you of all people can understand that,” stated Suga with no malice.

Kageyama managed to crack a tiny smile. “Yes, I suppose so.”

Suga smiled back. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow Kageyama. Get some rest. Tomorrow’s an important day.” Suga was about to walk away when Kageyama said something.

“Suga-senpai!” he blurted out. Suga stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face the anxious director.

“Yes?”

Kageyama bowed 90 degrees to a surprised and flustered Suga. “Thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let it go to waste, I promise. I will-no…I mean, we will make this series a success.”

Suga grinned happily. “Of course!”   

    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait for the next couple of chapters!! Thank you for reading!


	7. The Next Small Giant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata's audition starts!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy lately so I haven't been able to write. This chapter was done very quickly but I hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> Song of the day: DEAN - D (Half Moon) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFK6cyLNmBk)

“Holy shit,” breathed Hinata, his eyeballs almost popping out of his sockets. He stood speechless, unable to even count the number of people that were here backstage. They were all furiously rehearsing the lines in preparation for the audition. Many of them were accompanied by what looked like their managers. They handed them a water bottle every now and then.

            Hinata looked down at his clothes and instantly regretted his attire. It was different from his usual outfits, but he still felt so out of place. Everybody was all dressed up in fancy suits, while he was literally the only one who came in semi-formal. He frowned at his shoes. These converse were his best pair, but he was starting to realize why Natsu had insisted on something fancier. Oops.  

            “Hinata Shouyou?” asked a stern voice.

            “Um, yes!” squeaked Hinata, turning around to face the owner of the voice. He opened his mouth in awe. He was face to face with a beautiful black haired woman with a mole near her chin. She was probably one of the prettiest people he had ever seen in his life. Of course, Natsu was first by default.

            “My name is Shimizu Kiyoko, one of the employees here at Crow,” she greeted, shaking Hinata’s hand firmly. “I was just reviewing your application. I noticed you left your agency blank?”

            Hinata blinked at her. “I left it blank because I’m not part of any agency,” he said slowly.

            “Are you a free agent?” asked Shimizu.

            “Um, I guess?” replied Hinata, very confused now. “I mean, I’ve never signed with any agency before. This is actually my first big audition.” He stared back at Shimizu nervously. “Is that a bad thing?”

            Shimizu gave a reassuring smile. “Of course not. You have the same chance as everyone else in this room. I was simply asking because I wanted to just clarify. I apologize if my questions caught you off-guard.” She bowed a little and Hinata quickly bowed back in return.

            “Oh, no, it’s okay,” said Hinata flustered. “I get it.”

            “Well, then,” said Shimizu leaving. “Good luck.”

            “Thank you!” he squeaked. As soon as she left backstage, Hinata sighed with relief. He was so damn nervous! And his stomach was beginning to hurt. Like a lot. He could almost feel his morning breakfast coming up.

Hinata ran to the nearest bathroom as fast as he could before he could puke in front of everybody and embarrass himself. Just as he opened the door, a tall man in a well-groomed suit came out, and the two collided.

“Shit,” he heard the stranger swear. He glared at Hinata. “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

Hinata flinched at first and was about to apologize when he noticed the nasty look on this guy’s face. Talk about rude?

“It was an accident, there’s no need to be so mean,” quipped back Hinata in an annoyed tone. “Besides, I was in a hurry.” He pointed to his stomach. “I was having an emergency.” 

The mean stranger just squinted back at Hinata. Hinata really didn’t appreciate that look on his face. He was usually a very friendly person, but this guy was acting like such a jerk so Hinata couldn’t help but retaliate.

“How did you even get in here?” the man growled. “You don’t have an ID pass, so you’re not authorized to be here. Go back to school.”

Hinata gasped. “Go back to school?!” he screeched. “Did you just say go back to school?!”

The man frowned. “Aren’t you a high schooler?” He sighed. “Look, you can’t play hooky and just come to a big entertainment company for a fun field trip. You’re bothering so many people. Don’t be a nuisance and just go back. I’ll be lenient and not call the authorities.”

One day, Hinata thought to himself, when everyone else my age is old and wrinkly, I will be the only one who is still young and beautiful. Then I will be the one laughing!

Hinata gritted his teeth. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not in high school,” he said hotly. “I’m 23!”

“I’m not so easy to fool,” said the man. He grabbed Hinata’s arm. “Alright, that’s it. I’m taking you to security. I warned you.” He tried dragging Hinata, but Hinata managed to get out of his hold.

“Fuck, don’t touch me,” swore Hinata, pissed that this guy was patronizing him. “I’m not lying! I really am 23. I’m here for an audition.”

The man looked back at his watch and sighed. “You know what, do whatever you want,” he replied in a tired voice. “I don’t have time to deal with a kid like you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though.” He gave one last glare and then walked away, leaving Hinata fuming.

“What a nasty guy!” he exclaimed. “Geez, some people are so damn rude.” Hinata hoped that was the last time he saw that guy. His stomach felt better now though surprisingly. He hurried back to where all the other rookie actors were and squinted at his script that had been handed out earlier. The lines didn’t seem that hard, but it was pertinent to get the emotions down.  

“Auditions are starting!” informed a voice. “We will now start calling you by groups. Numbers 1-10, as the first group you are up!” Hinata checked his applicant number. He was number 99. That meant he was probably going to be in the last group. The first group of actors headed out to the stage with confidence, and Hinata clenched his sweaty hands tightly. He really did look out of place. Not one thing about his appearance screamed actor potential. He was a short, orange curly haired, inexperienced rookie. He didn’t even have an agency to back him up.

Hinata’s phone vibrated suddenly, and he grabbed it out of his back pocket. He smiled instantly when he saw that he received a text from Natsu. It read: Good luck!!!! Mina-chan and I are praying for your victory! Let’s celebrate with yummy food when you get back!!!

Natsu also attached a picture of her and Mina-chan with heart signs and kissy faces. Hinata burst out laughing and his worries and insecurities magically disappeared. He sent a quick reply of thanks with a smiling selfie of himself attached. Now resolute, Hinata carefully examined his practice lines and practiced with the few remaining hours left. He happened to overhear a group of actors talking amongst themselves.

“I heard that the director is Kageyama Tobio I swear!”

“No way, why the hell would Crow agency hire him as their director for this? You do realize that it is Sugawara writing this?

“They went to the same college!”

“A lot of people go to the same college but that doesn’t mean they will collaborate. Besides, no one in their right mind would work with that King. He’s impossible to work with!”

“Oh man, if only we could talk with those people in the first few groups who are auditioning. Too bad you need to leave once you finish your audition.”

“Um,” inquired Hinata carefully. “Who is Kageyama Tobio?”

The group of actors narrowed their eyes to stare at Hinata. He stared back curiously at them. “Is he really that bad?”

“You must really be new if you don’t know him,” scoffed someone. “He’s infamous. He was praised from an early age because of his genius like directing abilities, but he was always too demanding. He expects everyone to just follow his pace, that selfish bastard!”

Hinata titled his head in confusion. “Someone like him is directing this web drama that we’re auditioning for?”

“Well my manager heard it from someone, but who knows. We won’t know until we actually audition,” responded the actor, his arms crossed. “But damn, if the director really is Kageyama then I don’t know if I can go through with the audition.”

“Yeah, but the writer is Sugawara. And this web drama is being produced by Crow Agency. Who knows, if we do well in this project, we could work with their other directors like Oikawa! Isn’t that amazing!? Exclaimed another actor in an excited tone. “Just think of Kageyama Tobio as an annoying stepping stone to gain higher celebrity status!”

Everyone laughed except for Hinata. This was all foreign talk to him. He wished he had researched more on this industry, but he was always so busy with work. Hinata retreated back to his seat and continued to earnestly practice as they kept calling groups to audition. A few hours passed by, and soon it was only numbers 90-99 remaining.

“Hey, what agency are you from?” asked someone to Hinata. “You look really new.”

“I’m not affiliated with an agency,” said Hinata honestly. “And yea, I’m new. This is my first official audition…”

“Oh,” the person giggled. “Alright, well then, good luck. You’ll need it.” Hinata proceeded to roll his eyes.

“What is that suppose to mean?” he scowled.

Everyone in the room laughed as if they just heard a hilarious joke that only Hinata missed. “You’re like a fish out of water. That’s it.”

Alright, last group, numbers 90-99 you are up!” shouted a voice. “Please come up on stage here!”

Hinata’s heart started to beat a little faster when he heard the announcement. It was finally his time to prove what he was worth. He walked alongside with the other actors and stepped onto the open wide stage with a grin.

He lined up at the end since he was number 99, and he bowed to the judges when he stood in front of all of them. He stood straight up again, and looked at his judges who would determine if he could play the main role. Hinata smiled and marveled at the wide stage. It had been a while since he stood on a stage, so he couldn’t help but look around. He was so excited he could hardly stand still.

“Please begin by introducing yourselves,” informed someone. Numbers 90-98 carefully introduced themselves with their experience and agency’s talent. Hinata honestly wasn’t paying close attention because he was so excited to stand on stage again. Finally it was his turn to introduce himself, and he gave another grateful bow to the judges who were in the dim light.

“Hello! My name is Hinata Shouyou! I may be short but I believe I can be an actor that moves people’s hearts! My role model is the Small Giant, and I wish to be like him someday. Thank you for this opportunity!”

“Thank you for introducing yourselves. We will now introduce the judges for you…” announced a voice. The light focused on the judges brightened up, and Hinata could see everyone’s faces clearly. He noticed the pretty black-haired lady as one of the judges. Hinata suddenly widened his eyes when he noticed a familiar face from earlier. _Oh hell no._                   

“WHY ARE YOU HERE?!” shrieked Hinata, pointing his finger at the black-haired, arrogant man from earlier.

Startled, everyone stared at the man and almost collectively, all the auditioning actors gasped when they recognized him.

“It’s Kageyama Tobio…” they muttered with great disappointment.

An awkward cough erupted in the room, and Kageyama glared at Hinata who was still in shock. “I’m surprised someone like you is actually auditioning.”

“Don’t look down on me just because I look like a kid!” growled Hinata. “I’ll prove to you why I deserve to be the main lead!”

Next to Kageyama sat a pretty silver-haired man who laughed. “Well then, I guess our director is revealed in a pretty hilarious way,” he said well naturedly. “Indeed, this project’s director is Kageyama Tobio. He makes his return to the industry doing a collaboration with me. If any of you are not content with that, you are free to leave. I will not question you or your agency.”

No one dared to leave the stage. Hinata stared at the silver-haired man. He seemed very familiar…

“As many of you will know, I’m the main scriptwriter for this series, Sugawara,” he introduced himself. “I’m thankful you decided to participate in this audition. We will now begin.”

Hinata breathed deeply and looked out to the judges determined. He knew he was inexperienced and had many limitations, but he believed his passion would make up for his weaknesses. He looked directly at Kageyama Tobio. He was going to be the next Small Giant and nothing was going to stand in his way!


	8. Scene 8: Ache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi is confronted and in dilemma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a sad chapter, sorry y'all, prepare for tissues. 
> 
> (And I'm on summer break now so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently!)

“Hajime-chan, didn’t I tell you to buy some champagne on your way back from filming?” sighed a well-dressed lady with sultry red lips. She gave a small pout to Iwaizumi who had just gotten out of the shower. Her eyes quickly lit up when she realized he wasn’t in his bathrobe, but he was only clad in a modest body towel while he was using another towel to dry his wet, flat hair. She gazed at the sight of the well-groomed and toned muscled body with pleasure as Iwaizumi obliviously continued to dry his hair with much force.

“I have plenty of beer at home, so just drink one of those,” replied Iwaizumi with a shrug.

“Ugh, talk about no class,” said Juri with a frown, still not taking her eyes off the actor’s glorious body. “Although I can’t say the same for your body…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” smiled Juri with a wink. She eased her position as she sank into the back of the couch in Iwaizumi’s apartment. It was past midnight and Juri knew it was probably rude of her to keep staying since Iwaizumi did just come back from exhausting filming for his new movie, but she felt herself refusing to get up from the comfortable atmosphere.

“Hey…should we just get married?” she popped the question spontaneously, staring at her feet.

            Silence followed the question. Water drops from the kitchen faucet with slow plunks was the only prevailing sound that echoed in the spacious apartment. Juri looked up to meet Iwaizumi’s tired eyes and her heart sank as she already knew his answer before she even asked the question. “As I thought, it’s impossible, right?” she said with a sad smile.

            “Juri…” said Iwaizumi softly. “I-“

            Juri jumped off from the couch in a spirited fashion and brought her face closer to her boyfriend’s still damp face.

“Iwaizumi Hajime, you’re such an idiot,” she sighed. “Any guy in the world would go crazy for me, but here you are still refusing my marriage proposal. If the guys in my fanclub were to find out, they would have your head!” She playfully pinched his cheek as Iwaizumi awkwardly stood there.  “Geez, what else do I have to do in order to win your love.”

“It’s not that Juri,” protested Iwaizumi, his cheeks turning a little red. “I really care for you, honestly. It’s just…I’m not sure if we’re ready for that next stage in our life. And we’re still young, aren’t we? Besides, I thought you wanted to focus on your career. I don’t want to hold you back.”

“You’re holding me back by not marrying me,” replied Juri with a bit of bitterness detected from her voice. She proceeded to hold Iwaizumi’s hands and entangled her fingers with his and squeezed them. “I really do love you. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have even become an actress. I would still be a lifeless wandering idiot doing god knows what.”

“I told you to stop regarding me as some savior,” scolded Iwaizumi, still holding onto Juri’s hands. “I didn’t do much for you.”

Juri shook her head gently. “You saved me, that won’t change Hajime. You saved me in ways more than one.” She rested her head carefully on his chest, breathing in his scent and silently humming to the rhythm of his steady heartbeat. Hajime slowly caressed his girlfriend’s head, still unsure of how to respond to Juri’s proposal.

“Are you still in love with him?”

Iwaizumi froze.

Juri released herself from Iwaizumi’s embrace and looked straight at him with teary eyes. “Are you still in love with Oikawa Tooru?”

Hearing that name evoked weird emotions for Iwaizumi. He had taught himself for many years to stop caring whenever he heard that name, but no matter how much he brainwashed himself, a deep anguish filled his lungs, and he couldn’t help but feel the need to scream.

“Why the fuck is his name coming out?” Iwaizumi’s voice sharply rang. “Are you still bothered by him? I thought I told you that he means nothing to me.”

“Then why won’t you marry me?” pressed Juri. “Isn’t it because you’re still not over him?”

“Juri, you should go home. I’ll call a cab for you,” said Iwaizumi coldly, walking away from his girlfriend. “It’s late anyways.”

“See, you can’t even talk about him without get all emotional,” chuckled Juri in a sad manner. “As I thought, that man still lingers in your heart.”

Iwaizumi glared at Juri with a fierce look that sent her slight shivers. “If you bring his name up again, I won’t hesitate to break up with you.”

_SLAP._

Iwaizumi touched his right cheek and felt a burning sensation. He had always gotten slapped when he was acting in films and dramas, but they honestly never really hurt. This time though, he knew it was serious.

“Don’t you dare threaten me!” cried out Juri. Heavy streams were now flowing and Iwaizumi wished he could take back all the things he had just said. “Did I say something wrong? Is it wrong of me to be curious? Shouldn’t I have the right to know if my boyfriend still holds feelings for another person, much less a man? Or do I just not matter to you? Do you even love me?!” She tried to hold back her sobs, but small hiccups erupted as she cried in sorrow.   

“Wait Juri I-“

Juri ran out, slamming the door in Iwaizumi’s face before he could blurt out a lame apology. He angrily sat down on his couch and closed his eyes in frustration. _Fuck, Fuck, Fuck._ The week had been going so well too. It had been awhile since they had another one of their big fights, and Iwaizumi believed they would ride out on this stability, but of course his emotions got the best of him once again. He tenderly felt his slapped cheek and sighed. This was definitely going to leave a mark. Juri had slapped him plenty of times in the past, but her force was especially strong today.

_You deserve this though_ , he thought to himself helplessly. Juri had done nothing wrong. Even Iwaizumi knew that. This was totally his fault. _I’m really not cut out for human relationships._

He got up from the couch exhausted and went to his room for his cellphone. Biting his lip, Iwaizumi tried to think of a sincere apology via text. During the four years that he dated Juri, he realized that in order to get her forgiveness he needed to forgo all excuses and just completely blame himself for his mistakes. A bouquet of roses from her favorite flower shop was a necessity too. Oh, and Iwaizumi remembered that last time Juri seemed to lighten up more when he brought her that new lemon cake from the bakery downtown.

Iwaizumi hit send on his phone and let out a huge sigh. He let himself collapse on his huge bed, not caring that he was still undressed. Smashing his face into his pillow, Iwaizumi couldn’t help but feel like such an idiot. Why couldn’t he just accept Juri’s proposal? Rationally thinking about it now, marriage wasn’t a terrible idea. They were both in the same line of work, so they understood each other more than anyone else. Everybody knew they were dating, and the public would actually revel in the news that the two most popular actors in the nation would wed each other. And although Juri could be shallow at times, Iwaizumi knew deep inside she was a simple and honest woman. They had more similarities than differences. All in all, Migawa Juri was perfect for Iwaizumi Hajime. Every part in his brain screamed ‘Yes, marry this woman you fool!’, yet Iwaizumi couldn’t bring himself to utter that simple three letter word. Ever since last year, he would just come up with excuses after excuse until Juri screamed at him for being such an idiot. She would bring up marriage from time to time, but it had been awhile since she mentioned it. Until today. And once again Iwaizumi screwed up. As always. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and grabbed his sheet covers to cover himself and just sleep. He just wanted to take a break from this life. He closed his tired eyes and desperately tried to enter slumber when Juri’s question suddenly flashed across his mind.

_“Are you still in love with Oikawa Tooru?”_

Iwaizumi slowly reopened his eyes. The question repeated itself.

_“Are you still in love with Oikawa Tooru?”_

A melancholy air surrounded Iwaizumi as he felt a deep ache resonate inside.

“Of course I’m not in love with him,” he scoffed. “And what’s with the still attached? I was never in love with him. Shit.” He felt something wet escape his eye and drip down onto his face. “Who would love such a trashy bastard?” Iwaizumi laughed to himself, almost hysterical. It was too funny. He continued to laugh to the point where he couldn’t breathe because the idea of being in love with a selfish despicable human being like Oikawa Tooru was just so fucking ridiculous. Juri must be delusional, why else would she ask such a crazy question. Iwaizumi let out a deep breath and sat up, shivering. He got up to change into something warm when he caught his reflection in the mirror. He almost jumped in surprise at the sight of his face. No, it wasn’t because of the swelling on his face due to Juri’s slap, although that was also certainly a sight, but it was the fact that Iwaizumi had a tear streaked face that proved he had been crying heaps earlier. Iwaizumi could have sworn he had just been laughing though, but his face clearly said otherwise. When did he start crying?

“Fuck this,” he swore out loud. “Fuck everyone. I hope this world goes to hell.” Aggravated, Iwaizumi quickly slipped into something more warm, turned the lights off, crawled into his bed, and lulled himself to sleep.  The ache still remained though. But then again, perhaps that had always existed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized over the years that the main ingredients in Iwaoi fics is this: angst, angst, and more angst.


	9. Scene 9: Gut Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yachi is asked to check up on auditions. She can't believe what she sees.

Yachi Hitoka was many things; She was clumsy, timid, and soft-spoken, but if there was a saving grace to her persona, she could proudly state that she was a professional woman. After interning at Crow Entertainment Agency for close to a year, Yachi was recently offered a full time salary position with the company as a PR employee. She was beyond ecstatic. Although it wasn’t the job that she had been dreaming of, Yachi was glad to enter the company. People were kind towards her, and the pay wasn’t that bad actually. She especially learned a lot from her supervisor, Shimizu Kiyoko, one of the Crow’s highest ranked employees. Her professionalism in the way she dealt with her work awed Yachi, and Yachi vowed to herself that she too, would follow her role model’s steps and become a professional woman that carried out her duties even if it meant death!!!

Yet here Yachi stood in front of the auditorium, unable to gather the courage to go in. She glanced at her white watch, sweating profusely. It was close to 8 pm and auditions for Sugawara-san’s web drama were still not over, much to the displeasure of the Company’s Board. Yachi had been working in her office room when she was suddenly summoned by one of the Board members. He had ordered her to go check up on the auditions and to let everyone know they needed to finish up or the Board would hand out heavy consequences to everyone. Yachi had tried to reason with the Board member, but he stubbornly refused and demanded Yachi show professionalism by carrying out his orders. Unable to refuse higher authority, Yachi had come to the front of the auditorium, but she was reluctant to go in. How could she of all people just tell everyone to leave?! She just couldn’t! This was impossible!

But…what if…Yachi lost her job?! Yachi gasped audibly in shock and imagined the Board Members kicking her out of the company. She would then be unable to pay rent for her apartment, and subsequently be kicked out by the landlord. She couldn’t ask her mother for help because she wouldn’t want her mother to worry about her! Yachi would become a homeless vagabond, and then she would grow weak from being unable to find food for herself. She would die a sad death, and the vultures would pick at her lifeless body, pecking away at her. She would then decompose and that would be the end of Yachi Hitoka’s life.

“I can’t even say I lived a good life,” Yachi sighed glumly. She slumped her body and sank to the floor, completely at a loss. Why was she so useless?

“Yachi?” called out a familiar voice.

Yachi instantly got up from the floor and nervously looked up. She brightened up when she recognized the owner of the voice.

“Yamaguchi!” she wailed, almost in tears.

“What’s wrong?” asked Yamaguchi worried. “Why are you in front of the auditorium? You should just go inside if you want to.”

“They’re having auditions for Sugawara san’s web drama, but the Board told me to end it now since it’s getting late,” blubbered Yachi like a lost child. “But I can’t just tell everyone that! I mean, if they haven’t ended yet, the auditions must be very serious! I don’t want to interrupt everyone…” She hung her head in defeat and Yamaguchi gave Yachi a reassuring pat on the head.

“You must have been very stressed Yachi,” he comforted.

Yachi nodded sadly while Yamaguchi tried to not laugh. Yachi was too cute when she worried like this.

“Let’s go in together and see what we can do,” offered Yamaguchi with a smile. “I’ll be with you okay?”

Yachi nodded eagerly, her mood brightening up. “Thank you so much!” She bowed to show her gratefulness as Yamaguchi opened the heavy doors to the auditorium. He squinted as the two entered the vast room.

“Whoa, why is it so dark?” questioned Yamaguchi.

“It’s only lit up there in the front by the stage,” replied Yachi. They continued to walk quietly until they got closer to the front.

“Why is it so quiet though?” asked Yamaguchi, a bit confused. “It seems like no one’s talking.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” voiced Yachi who was just as confused as her fellow colleague. They finally arrived to the judges tables, and Yamaguchi quickly spotted his best friend.

“Hey Tsukki, why are you guys so quiet,” he asked as Yachi carefully approached Shimizu senpai.

“Tsukki?” called out Yamaguchi. He looked at his friend’s expression and was frightened at what he saw.  “Tsukki?”

“Quiet Yamaguchi,” shushed Tsukishima, unable to tear his gaze away from the stage.

Just then, Yamaguchi and Yachi realized every single one of the judges had their attention solely focused on a single person. They looked like they were put in a mystified deep trance by a hypnotist. Yachi swore they didn’t even blink. Very confused, she and Yamaguchi looked at the person performing in front. Standing on stage embedded in the bright and single spotlight was a curly orange haired boy in humble casual clothes, absolutely glowing. He wasn’t that tall, Yachi surmised, but for some reason his presence was striking and alluring. Yachi couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

“Do you know how much I wished for a father?” the boy said sorrowfully. “How much I ached and hurt when I saw other kids with their own fathers? How can you say to me now please forgive me? Do you have any shame?” His lips quivered slightly, and tears cascaded his agonized face. “You have absolutely no idea how much I wished for a father,” he whispered tearfully.

Yachi breathed slowly in amazement, unable to believe what she was just witnessing. There was a pang developing in her heart that started to hurt.

Suddenly, the boy twisted his face from a tearful expression to an indignant, beautiful raging expression. He cocked his head to one side in arrogance, and Yachi felt her heart beat faster.

“Did you really think I gave a fuck?” he spat out, his voice full of venom. “Did you think once you revealed yourself to me that I would welcome you with open arms?! His voice grew progressively louder, sending shivers down Yachi’s spine. The look on the boy’s face filled her with terror. “Go to fucking hell and rot there for eternity. You can beg for forgiveness until your body is scorched a million times, but I will never, EVER, forgive you.” He ended the sentence with a snarl, and it seemed his hatefulness was spread around the room. The atmosphere was noticeably heavy, and the silence was suffocating. Yachi couldn’t breathe. Shaking, she sat down in one of the chairs next to the judges, unable to break away from looking at the boy.

His expression was still very angry, but slowly it started to soften until a crushed face appeared and all sorts of anger disappeared. The boy then spoke delicately, as if his words were light as a feather. Everyone watching leaned their bodies closer to hear his soft words.

“Why must you put me in so much pain,” he whimpered sensitively. “Why father….”

Yachi’s eyes filled up with tears. She was filled with so many emotions just watching him perform. She used the edge of her sleeves to wipe the tears away. She gazed at the actor in adoration.

The boy reached out his hand as if he was trying to grasp someone’s hand. He quickly then took his hand away, looked at his hand in disgust, and pulled back, turning his back to the audience. A slow beat. Turning only his head to reveal his face, a desperate longing filled the boy’s face. It seemed like eternity, but quickly, the boy turned around again. In a snarl, he spoke darkly. “Don’t ever show your face in front of me again.”

“Unbelievable,” breathed out Sugawara out loud. He started clapping furiously as the boy finished his performance and bowed. “That was…one of the best performances I have ever seen!”

The boy grinned earnestly and bowed again. “Thank you!”

Yachi clapped happily, agreeing with everyone that this performance was one of the best she has seen as well.

Suddenly, Kageyama ran up to the stage and gripped the front of the actor’s shirt collar.

“Kageyama, get back here!” exclaimed Sugawara in horror as everyone looked on in alarm. Yachi gasped in shock. She had heard that Kageyama could have a nasty attitude towards actors if they didn’t perform to the way he liked, but surely he was satisfied with this actor’s performance! It was absolutely breathtaking! Sugawara, Daichi, and Shimizu senpai ran up the stage to stop Kageyama from screaming insults at the actor when Kageyama spoke.

“Where have you been all this time?!” he exclaimed.

“What the fuck is the King trying to do now,” growled Tsukishima, visibly irritated.

“What are you talking about?” asked the actor, struggling against the taller boy’s grip on him. “Can you let me go?! I would like to breathe if possible!”

Kageyama only tightened his grip. “What have you been doing up til now? Why are you only showing up now?! HUH?!”

The boy stared at Kageyama in confusion. “Are you crazy?” He looked at the others for help, and the senpais urged Kageyama to let him go.

“Kageyama, you’re going to hurt him,” scolded Daichi. “Please control yourself.”

“You….what was your name again?” demanded Kageyama, not paying attention to anyone else except the boy.

The boy rolled his eyes in annoyance. “This is the third time I’m telling you so listen up! My name is Hinata Shouyou and I am going to be the next Small Giant!” He looked back at Kageyama with fierce determination. Yachi thought she saw fire emitting from him and Kageyama.

Just then, the corners of Kageyema’s lips turned upward. Yachi widened her eyes. It was hard to tell from first glance, but she was definitely sure of it.

“Tsukki…is Kageyama Tobio….is he…?” stammered Yamaguchi, unable to phrase proper words.

“He’s smiling,” said Sugawara with a small smile on his own face. “Kageyama’s smiling.”

The boy called Hinata just started at Kageyama in confusion. “What, you wanna go?!”

Kageyama then pointed at Hinata, his eyes gleaming. “You…”he spoke slowly. “You are still far from perfect. You lack a lot of technical skills like enunciation and voice tone-“

“Aw geez, what the hell!” scowled Hinata, clearly irritated in Kageyama’s criticisms.

“But,” Kageyama continued. “If you trust me, I can make you the best-no…scratch that. If you trust me, we can be the best in this industry!”

Hinata blinked back at Kageyama in surprise. After a few seconds lingered by, Hinata stared at the others. “Um, I’m sorry I don’t quite understand what he’s saying…”

Tsukishima got up from his seat and started to walk out of the auditorium.

“It means you’ve made it idiot,” said Tsukishima in a dry tone. “You got the role.”

“What?!” exclaimed Hinata in total shock. “Is this true?! Am I really going to star in this show?!” He looked at everyone eagerly who nodded in approval.

“Congrats,” said Shimizu senpai warmly. “That was an outstanding performance.”

Hinata beamed like the sun and Yachi smiled too. Something about his smile and happiness was contagious. “Thank you everyone!!! You won’t regret this!” He bowed once again. He looked at Kageyama straight in the eye with a smile. “I’ll take you up on your offer then. We’ll be the best in not just the country, but the world!”

Kageyama maintained his smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “Just my luck, now we have another idiot on board. Great,” he sighed, walking out of the auditorium as everyone eagerly congratulated their new actor.

Yachi Hitoka never really went with her gut, but this time she felt her gut was telling her something incredible was about to begin. And she couldn’t wait to be here to watch it all when it happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♪♪♪♪♪♪This could be the start  
> Of something new  
> It feels so right  
> To be here with you  
> Oh  
> And now looking in your eyes  
> I feel in my heart  
> The start of something new♪♪♪♪♪


	10. Scene 10: It pays to be clever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sugawara and his team are still stuck in trying to gather more people for their project, so Oikawa comes to save the day.   
> Meanwhile Hinata, Natsu, and Mina celebrate Hinata's successful audition, and Mina comes up with an idea.

 

"Please make this quick," groaned Tsukishima as he sat down in one of the leather seats in the conference room. "It's past midnight, and unlike some people, I actually value my sleep time."

"Sorry Tsukishima, but you're going to have to bear with us for a little while longer," apologized Daichi, motioning the others in the room to take a seat. He stood up in front of the large room with Shimizu by his side. "We need to go over formalities."

Tsukishima scrunched his nose in annoyance. "What formalities, the midget got the role. End of story."

"No, Daichi's right," spoke up Sugawara with a sigh. "I'm really relieved we picked someone suitable for the role. Hinata Shouyou was really a pleasant surprise. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but he's surpassed my expectations. I think Kageyama agrees as well."

Everyone looked towards the scowling director who shrugged his shoulders. "He was alright," he responded plainly with no emotion.

"You looked quite taken with him," commented Takeda.

"Yeah, although the poor guy probably thought you were going to strangle him," quipped Tsukishima with a roll of his eyes. He glared at Kageyama whose cheeks were starting to flush a little red. "I hope your moronic brain understands that we don't condone violence. Ever."

Kageyama hung his head in remorse. "I'm really sorry about earlier. I...I guess I got a bit too excited."

"So you decide to choke the guy?" muttered Tsukishima. He caught Sugawara glaring at him, so he took his cue to shut his mouth before another fight could erupt.

"Anyways," interrupted Sugawara, "Don't worry about what happened Kageyama. I think Hinata got over it pretty quickly. He doesn't strike me as the type of guy to hold a grudge. He seemed pretty happy when we announced that he got the lead role." He smiled warmly at the sullen young director. "Let's just try to be careful next time."

"Of course," promised Kageyama with an apologetic bow. "It won't happen again."

"Alright, now that that's cleared up, I want to thank every single one of you for being so attentive. I know it was tedious, but now that we have a lead role, I feel really good about this project," said Sugawara, addressing everyone in the room. "Once we contact other people for side rolls, I think we can start planning on filming this in about two weeks?" He looked toward Daichi and Shimizu for their approval.

Daichi scratched his head in frustration. "Well, I know you wanted the list of available actors in our company, but it turns out most of them are reluctant to join in the project."

Sugawara frowned as Tsukishima let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, I figured this might happen..." the silver haired writer replied slowly with disappointment.  

Ukai bit his lip in worry. "If we can't get the roles all secured by the end of next week, the Board won't allow us to move forward," he explained. "I had a talk with them the other day, and they're very strict on their conditions. Surely you of all people understand this Sugawara." 

"Daichi and I are trying our best to recruit people," added Shimizu. "I'll have to admit though, it's difficult getting in contact with people."

 

"If only everyone was in a single setting, this would be so much easier," sighed Daichi, his eyebrows furrowed. "It's hard to keep everyone's schedule in check, and the managers aren't helping either."

"Maybe we can call a mandatory company meeting?" suggested Asahi. "That way, everyone's in one place?"

Daichi shook his head. "Nobody really comes to those," he replied. "If anything, managers will maybe be there, but we need actors present. If only there was some way to get everyone together..."

Everyone remained silent, trying to think of a solution when an ominous voice spoke.

"I have an idea."

Near the entrance of the conference room stood a tall, polished man in a plaid suit. He grinned at the gloomy audience, revealing his perfectly straight white teeth that was almost blinding. "Care to listen?"

"Oikawa-san?!" exclaimed Kageyama in surprise, jumping from his seat in alarm. "What are you doing here?!"

"Hello Tobio-chan!" chirped Oikawa, skipping his way to take a seat next to his junior. He nonchalantly sat down, crossing his long legs and turned towards Kageyama. He gasped when he took a good look at him. "My my, you've turned into a disaster. You poor thing! Have you been eating Tobio-chan? You've lost so much weight! You really must take good care of yourself or you might end up looking like Daichi over there. You know, he's only 25 but he looks like a middle aged gopher! What a shame since his looks aren't so bad." He winked at his friend who only glowered in return. Kageyama shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his senior just flashed him his famous signature smile like he was taking some picture for an interview.

"Can we help you Oikawa-san?" grumbled Tsukishima. "We're sort of busy being depressed about our project here." He eyed Oikawa's outfit with distaste. "Or maybe you need help in your questionable fashion choices. You always seem to dress up in ostentatious clothing."

Oikawa frowned at the writer's insult as Daichi wished he could high five Tsukishima across the room.

"How rude, is this how you treat your savior?" Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Tsukishima. "Au contraire, monsieur four eyes, my fashion is always on point. Besides, this suit is from MILAN. The material is very high quality! And just so you know, this happens to cost more than your yearly salary!" He lifted his head high in arrogance while everyone in the room secretly rolled their eyes.

"What do you want Oikawa," asked Daichi in irritation, desperately wanting to go home and sleep for at least a week. He was beyond tired, and it didn't help that now his obnoxious flashy friend had appeared. How did he even get in here?

"Daichi, do you know why I'm called Japan's beloved director?" questioned Oikawa sweetly, rising up from his seat. He slowly walked up to the front of the room to stand next to Daichi and Shimizu as Tsukishima scowled. He then wrapped an arm around his friend's strong shoulders. "It's because my mind is infinitely creative."

"Oh geez," muttered Ukai under his breath as Asahi coughed awkwardly.

 

"This company should be on their knees every time they see me!" sighed Oikawa dramatically as Daichi pushed his arm away from his shoulders. Oikawa ignored the motion. He winked at Shimizu who just stared at him like he was insane.

"Crow would not last without my presence. It would crumble, for I am this company's solid foundation! And I truly would give up my life to uphold this legacy of a company!"

"Is he on something?" asked Tsukishima to Sugawara.

"Just get to the damn point Oikawa," demanded Ukai impatiently. "I don't need a monologue right now."

Oikawa cleared his throat and eyed the audience who stared at him in suspicion. He cracked a devious smile. "I propose a party."

"Really?" growled Tsukishima, standing up suddenly. "Okay, I'm getting out of here, this is ridiculous."

"Let me finish four eyes!" exclaimed Oikawa, his eyes shining. "Our company hasn't had a party in like ages. We used to hold them frequently, and believe me they were fabulous! The food, the drinks, the music...." He closed his eyes to reminiscence and dwell in the sweet memories of the past. "Ah, I can remember them like it was yesterday!" He opened his hazelnut eyes, and he turned to Daichi in excitement. "Don't you remember how wonderful the parties were Daichi?"

"No, because while you, Kuroo and Bokuto were going crazy , I was handling all the guests so they could leave the party not thinking you were all a bunch of idiots," replied Daichi. "So no Oikawa, I don't remember the parties being wonderful. I just remember wishing I had never joined this company and instead wishing I was a simple nomad living in the mountains peacefully."

"Hey, your misery is all thanks to Kuroo and Bokuto," said Oikawa with a careless shrug. "It's not my fault they wanted to impress the reporters with their awful singing." He placed a hand over his heart. "I was truly being a respectable host."

"Um guys, I think we're going off topic here," interrupted Sugawara, noticing all the other members in the room, especially Tsukishima,  who looked like they were about to strangle Oikawa any moment now. "So why do you want a party Oikawa? I don't see the benefit."

"Oh, but there is a benefit to this!" shouted Oikawa happily. "Sugawara, I overheard you guys talking earlier and it seems you need to recruit actors? Throw a company party, and trust me, everyone will show up!" 

Ukai raised an eyebrow. “You really think everyone will show up to a last minute party?” asked the reluctant president.

“You bet!” promised Oikawa. “And they’ll even bring their friends over. Heck, their grandma’s might show up. If there’s anything this company adores, it’s parties. I mean, you can’t resist fine food and drinks!”

“Oikawa, aren’t you a little biased?” sighed Ukai.

“Wait, he may be on to something,” said Sugawara slowly. A lightbulb suddenly went off in his mind. “If we announce a party, we can fearlessly advertise my project. We can recruit more people too because god knows we need more than just our team right now in order for this project to succeed.”  
            “See?” smiled Oikawa, quite proud of his idea. “Oh, and you might as well introduce your new star. Gather some interest! Make them curious!”

“This can work,” said Sugawara growing excited by the second. “Oikawa, this is perfect!” He gave a thumbs up to the director who just beamed as he took a small bow.

“Anything to help you,” replied Oikawa in a faux modest voice. “Oh and of course, I want to see my junior make his glorious comeback.” He pointed to Kageyama with his index finger in a dramatic manner. “Although you’re no way near my level of talent, I do want you to do well Tobio. It’s time you came back to this industry.” He crossed his arms smugly. “Besides, I have yet to truly battle it out with you.”

“I hate to interrupt you your highness,” cut in Tsukishima, who was anything but sorry, “But you realize you need the Board to approve this party? And no matter how much of a kiss up you are, they won’t easily agree to your idea. Parties cost money, and the Board is stingy as hell.” He stared at Oikawa defiantly.

“Always a downer, aren’t you?” clicked Oikawa. He shook his head in pity and delicately took out his cellphone from his back pocket. “Watch and learn!”

He dialed a number, put the phone to his ear and smiled, tapping his foot patiently. “Ah, Watabe-san? I’m so sorry for disrupting your peaceful night. Yes, I know it’s past midnight, but I just thought of a wonderful idea!” He chuckled for a moment. “Oh, of course it’s not outrageous, it’s quite reasonable! I just thought it would be nice to have a company party this Friday night? We haven’t had one in a while. I’m surprised the Board hasn’t announced to throw one. You know, I believe the Board members do enjoy a good party…” He paused. “”What about the money? Oh, you see, I’m sure you have enough funds. We are the leading agency in the country.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes while Oikawa continued to talk with the Board member. Sugawara and Ukai on the other hand watched with their breaths held.

“It’s not a pain at all you know. Everyone loves a good party!” chirped Oikawa. “And it’s been a long time since everyone in the company was in one place. I do miss everyone dearly.” Oikawa rolled his eyes as he listened. “Yes, Of course, I understand that this is last minute.” He continued to tap his feet, a bit impatiently now. “I know it may seem selfish but-“ Oikawa sighed and held the phone away from his ear for a moment as he winced. “I understand Watabe-san,” he said sadly. “We won’t go through with the party.”

Tsukishima muttered some curses under his breath when suddenly Oikawa spoke again in a dark, soft voice.

“But let me make it clear that I won’t be able to protect you from the calamity that might rain on your household,” Oikawa said in a threatening voice. He examined his fingernails with a sly smile. “Because as far as we know, I believe your wife still believes that your business trip in Guam was purely for work, am I right? Can you imagine what might happen when she finds out her husband of 30 years had a mischievous rendezvous with a certain actress? Oh, and I’m sure your children would love to know more about this as well.” He added a chuckle as Asahi stared at Oikawa with horror when he realized what was going on. “I’m not threatening you, I’m simply letting you know the possibilities and as you’re aware, in my mind, the possibilities are endless.” He winked at Sugawara who just beamed at him in adoration. Tsukishima just shook his head.

“Ah, now we’re on the same page!” Oikawa’s voice brightened up dramatically. “Then please do let everyone know via email and text about the party. I want it Friday starting at 7:30 PM sharp! Don’t forget to bring in some jazz musicians. Oh, and please do prepare an abundant amount of sparkling wine. And I want a variety of food, not just finger food. This party must be a feast for both the eyes, ears, and stomach!”

Kageyama just gaped at his senior, unsure of whether to be in awe or terror. Oikawa continued to throw in request after request.

“Thank you so much Watabe-san! I’m sure everyone will be delighted. We surely understand our priorities! Well then, have a wonderful night!” Oikawa paused for a moment and then quickly added a last greeting. “Oh, and sir, I do wish the best for you and your wife. 30 years of marriage is truly a miracle and blessing, and I for one would love to see it continue. Good night!” Oikawa hung up his phone and placed it back in his pocket. He looked up at everyone, his eyes twinkling.

“Didn’t I say I’m your savior?” he bragged, triumphant grin plastered on his face. He glanced towards Tsukishima who was sulking in his seat. “In awe, aren’t you?”

“Oikawa, you are a fucking genius,” laughed Ukai. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.” The two laughed good naturedly while the rest of the members squirmed in their seats awkwardly.

“Thanks Oikawa, you really helped us out,” said Sugawara with a grateful smile.

“What are friends for? Right Daichi?” Oikawa turned to his disgruntled friend who cracked a small smile in the gloating director’s direction.

“Okay, I guess we owe you one,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m always here to help!” vowed Oikawa, enjoying the perpetual praise from his colleagues.

            Tsukishima leaned back in his seat, rolling his eyes for probably the 50th time today. He sighed heavily as Sugawara patted his shoulder warmly.

            It won’t be so bad,” his senpai whispered.

            Tsukishima grumbled. “There better be good cake.”

 

 

          

 

 

            “Whoa, they announced it already on the home page!” chattered Mina, pointing at her laptop. “Right here, it says congrats to Hinata Shouyou for getting the lead role!”

            “I knew he would get it!” stated Natsu proudly, hugging her brother tightly. The three of them were at Mina’s place, celebrating by eating Hinata’s favorite dishes. Hinata had come home yesterday, screaming to Natsu he had passed the audition and gotten the role. Of course, it woke everyone up in the apartment, but Mina couldn’t be happier for him.

            “Oh c’mon Natsu, you were so worried that you couldn’t focus on anything!” teased Mina. “Oniichan, this girl was a mess after you left for auditions. She started praying to all the deities and gods so that you could pass!”

            “Shut up Mina!” snapped Natsu, her cheeks turning a visible red. “And I wasn’t praying!”

            Hinata pinched his sister’s cheeks with a giggle. “And you said you’re not religious.”

            Natsu glared at the two who were laughing over Natsu’s cute antics. “It’s not that funny,” she muttered, stuffing a piece of meat in her brother’s mouth to get him to stop laughing. “So when do you start filming?”

            Hinata shrugged, chewing his food thoughtfully. “They said they would call me. I think they need to still configure some things out. But don’t worry.” He smiled at the two high school girls. “I signed a temporary contract with the company. It felt so weird but cool!”

            “I can’t believe you’re going to be a full-fledged actor Oniichan!” sighed Mina in wonder. “If this project does well, the company will definitely prolong your contract. Right Natsu?”

            “This project is going to succeed for sure,” replied Natsu proudly. “I mean, they have my brother as the lead actor, how can it fail?”

            “Aw, stop, you make me blush,” giggled Hinata, patting his sister’s head gently.

            “But Sho-oniichan, I heard the director is Kageyama Tobio,” brought up Mina in a worried tone. “Are you going to be alright? I’ve heard bad things about him.”

            “Kageyama Tobio?” repeated Natsu curiously. “What’s wrong with him?”

            At that point, Hinata grimaced, remembering his encounters with the young director. He clenched his fists as he felt his blood boiling. Kageyama Tobio sure was a rude bastard. Not only did he look down on Hinata for his short stature, but he almost got strangled too!

            “Is everything alright Oniichan?” asked Natsu suspicously. “Is this Kageyama Tobio going to give you a hard time?”

            Hinata regained his composure, realizing that Natsu must never find out about the true nature of Kageyama Tobio. “It’s nothing,” said Hinata innocently. “It’s just nerves. I’m new to everything so I feel kind of out of place with all these writers and directors.” He smiled faintly. “But I’m more excited than scared. I’m going to do the best I can so I can make you, Mom and Dad proud.” He gave a quick kiss to Natsu’s cheek who squealed in return. Mina looked on lovingly at the Hinata family. Although they were not well-off, they seemed really content with their life which Mina found admirable.

            Hinata’s cellphone started buzzing all of a sudden, alerting all three of them.

            “Oh my god, maybe it’s them!” said Natsu in excitement

            “What are you waiting for, answer it!” demanded Mina, impatiently.

            “Hold on, okay!” laughed Hinata, feeling grateful for the girls’ interest. He answered the phone with a pleasant hello. Natsu and Mina were trying to listen to the line by pressing their ears to Hinata’s phone.

            “Um…hello, this is Yachi Hitoka. I’m calling from Crow Agency…” introduced a shy, nervous voice. “Is this Hinata Shouyou?”  
            “Yep, that’s me!” Hinata listened attentively while Natsu and Mina inched closer to the phone, trying to hear. Feeling cramped, Hinata got up to move to the bathroom and locked the door, leaving Natsu and Mina alone.

            “Awww, what he do that for?” complained Mina as Natsu ran to the bathroom earnestly, pressing her ear to the door to hear her brother’s muffled sounds. She listened meticulously and then gasped. She turned to Mina in surprise.

            “They want to introduce him to everyone in the company by throwing a party,” she informed her best friend with wide eyes.

            Mina widened her eyes as well. “Do you think he’ll be alright?! I mean, we all know your brother kind of gets nervous in a crowd. Isn’t a party too much for him?”

            Natsu pouted. “But this is a good chance to get acquainted with everyone! And he needs to start making more connections.” She sighed while crossing her arms. “I hope he’ll be okay…”

            Mina looked at Natsu with a sly smile. “If you’re so worried, why don’t you go with him?”

            Natsu glared at her friend. “Don’t joke,” she scolded. “I can’t just go to a company party! Are you crazy?”

            Mina shrugged nonchalantly. “You can see who he’ll be working with if you go. Plus, you can help him from making a fool of himself. It’s hitting two birds with one stone.”

            “I’m not gonna make my brother bring his younger sister!” scowled Natsu, but Mina knew her friend was slowly deliberating the idea.

            “Oh Natsu, I thought you were smarter than this,” whistled Mina, giving her friend a disappointed smile. “Listen closely.” She dropped her voice to a barely audible whisper as Natsu came closer to her best friend as if she held all the secrets in the world. “Who said you had to go to the party as his sister?”

            Inside the bathroom, Hinata felt a shiver go down his spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get excited for the next coming chapters!

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, wow, was that dramatic or what? LOL. What can I say, I grew up on Kdramas. They sure know how to play with your heart!
> 
> Some of you might be wondering what the hell Daichi and Shimizu actually do, and um, to be honest, even I'm not completely sure lol. All I know is that they work for this super huge company that houses actors, writers, and directors. I guess Daichi and Shimizu are PR employees? They mainly deal with business that involves their company's actors/writers/directors. So this is also an office au too lol.   
> Next chapter we will get another character's point of view. I plan on switching it up every chapter (and maybe within the chapter too)
> 
> Anyhoo, thank you for reading!


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